Alexander Khatskevich: I Am Belarusian; This Is My Home

A well-known soccer player explained why he didn't take Ukrainian citizenship.

A native of Belarus and star of Kyiv’s “Dynamo” Alexander Khatskevich explained why, despite living in Ukraine, he has not obtained Ukrainian citizenship.

— Why didn’t you get a Ukrainian passport, since you were offered one?

— No, nobody offered me one. What’s the point? I couldn’t have played for the Ukrainian national team. I’m Belarusian. I was born in Belarus. That’s my home. And Ukraine is my second home. I never wanted to change my passport. I can use the word “never” here—this is exactly that kind of case.

— Why, then, did Valentin Belkevich get a Ukrainian passport?

— You had to know him. Valik knew how to be a friend. He had a good understanding of the people who surrounded him outside of soccer. He didn’t let anyone get too close to him and kept many at a distance.

Even though we’d known each other since we were seven, I was the last to find out that he was getting married to Anya Sedokova. He never let anyone into his personal life at all. And why did he want to get a Ukrainian passport? I don’t have an answer. “I simply don’t know,” Khatskevich replied in an episode of Denis Boiko’s YouTube channel.

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