Dynamo president Ihor Surkis said that Justin Lonwijk refused to play in Ukraine because of the war with Russia. According to him, the 23-year-old Dutchman with Surinamese roots was provided with all the conditions, but the first rocket attack forced the player to leave Kyiv.

Surkis admitted that it was time to bring his young players into the game since Dynamo cannot invite very high-quality legionnaires.

"For example, we paid money for Lonwijk and created good conditions for him. Then the first rocket flew over the base... And he said he didn't want to stay here any longer while the war was going on," Surkis told the PROFOOTBALL Digital YouTube channel.

Surkis added that the "refusal to play" factor should not affect the club's performance.

"We can't count on that, because the head coach has been making the squad.. 11 Ukrainian players took to the field in the game against Vorskla and made a great result. Yes, there are shortcomings, but they are learning," the president emphasized.

Lonwijk will play the rest of the season on loan at Anderlecht in the Netherlands.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, FIFA's rule that allows players from Ukrainian clubs to terminate their contracts early and leave the country does not apply to Lonwijk, who signed the contract after Russia's full-scale invasion.

Lonwijk joined Dynamo Kyiv in September last year. The agreement was signed for 5 years.

Since then, he has played 18 matches in the white and blue shirt in all competitions, scoring one goal and making one assist.

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