“If you took the train, you could die”, the terrifying escape of a Ukrainian hockey player

The difficult situation in Ukraine has affected all social, economic and, of course, sports sectors in the country. This is the case of Eliezer Sherbatov, a player for HC Mariupol, a Ukrainian hockey league team who was preparing to face Kramatorsk, when the sound of war made him flee for his life.

“At 5 in the morning, I’m sleeping and I hear: ‘BOOM!’ You never hear a sound as loud as that.” Sherbatov told the media, explaining the exact moment he realized his life was in danger.

The player born in Israel, but with Canadian nationality, said that at that moment everything began to shake in the hotel where HC Mariúpol rested waiting for their game in Donetsk, a city located in eastern Ukraine and that due to its proximity to Russia he felt strongly the invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin.

At that time, the player relates, the team’s coach summoned them to an emergency meeting in which he reported: “Guys, the war has begun. It’s unfortunate, but I suggest everyone stay put as a team. But if they choose to leave, it is their decision.”

Faced with confusion and fear, as a result of hearing the bombs just a few meters from the hotel, most of the team decided to stay and take refuge in the place. However, Sherbatov together with a colleague decided to flee from the place, despite the fact that the escape was also to go out and risk their lives.

And although he decided to leave the city by train to Lviv, a city located near the border with Poland, this tour was delayed for two days as a result of the war. And as if this were not enough, the person who was going to pick them up in the other city refused to go for them for fear of dying, since it was said that the Russian Army was bombing the trains and stations.

“If you took the train, you could die… It’s a 50-50 chance. That’s what they said. That’s a 50-50 chance, if you go on the train, you can die. Tell me, what would you do? What decision would you make? You stay, you go to a bomb shelter and you hope that a person doesn’t put a grenade inside the bomb shelter. Or you take the train and you have a 50-50 chance of survival,” the Israeli-Canadian player said, quite affected by the situation.

Sherbatov traveled through northwestern Ukraine reaching Kharkiv and then west through Kiev, with only the encouragement of his father, whom he spoke to on the phone before beginning the journey.

He knew that all this journey meant putting his life at risk and the possibility of never seeing his family again, since all this territory was being assaulted by the Russian Army.

“I called this train the ‘train of death’ because every second you think you are going to be shot… There are armies everywhere, but you just don’t know which one,” he recounted, explaining how he felt during this journey.

Upon arrival in Lviv, Eliezer Sherbatov was helped by the Latvian Consulate in this city, along with some Israeli volunteers who would impose an unexpected responsibility on him, which meant taking charge of a bus that transported children and the elderly to Poland.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, being responsible for 17 people when it comes to a matter of life and death.” Sherbatov said, recounting that no one from the consulate accompanied him on this tour, as they argued that they had to wait for other people in Lviv.

Already from Poland, the player was able to travel to Canada and reunite with his family and meet one of his sons, whom he had not been able to see due to his sports commitments in Ukraine. “I met my son for the first time, I really thought I would never see him. I thought I would never see my family,” he said. “My daughter was sleeping. I hugged her and just stood there, just crying and stood there. When you think you’re not coming back, you’re never going to see your parents, all you want to do now is be with your family for the rest of your life.”

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, the hockey league where Sherbatov’s team participates was suspended, as a result of the war the country is going through.. On the other hand, the KHL, which is the hockey league played by teams from Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Finland and China, has also been affected by the situation. Since there are several teams that have withdrawn from international competition. It should be noted that this Continental League is one of the most important in the world, only behind the NHL in the United States and Canada.

–