Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova derided the football kits, saying Ukraine’s football team “attached Ukraine’s territory to Russia’s Crimea”.
The slogans have drawn criticism from Moscow for their association with World War II-era nationalist groups who both fought against and cooperated with the Nazis. The “Glory to Ukraine” call and “Glory to the Heroes” response are associated with Ukraine’s decades-old fight for independence.
The conflict has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014. Russia annexed Crimea and supported Russian-speaking fighters in Ukraine’s east. The revolt was condemned as illegal by Moscow and sparked a crisis in ties between the two countries. The “Glory to Ukraine” slogan is a patriotic chant that became a rallying cry for protesters who removed a Kremlin-backed leader, Viktor Yanukovych, during a popular uprising in 2014.
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