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Marinakis in SURREAL Russia row after signing Zinchenko
Tom Weber
- Updated: 6 Sept 2025 12:26 BST
- 4 min read
News
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has argued that Ukraine should cede territory to Russia mere days after signing Arsenal full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Ukraine international completed a surprising 11th-hour loan move to Nottingham Forest on Deadline Day after talks with Marseille yielded no satisfactory results.
Zinchenko was keen to get out of Arsenal after enduring what was, by his own admission, his worst season as a professional, having spent the majority of the previous campaign on the bench.
Current ETV
Oleksandr Zinchenko
D (L)
Nottingham
Oleksandr Zinchenko
D (L)
Nottingham
ETV Range
€15.4M - €18.8M
He would have been well aware that by joining Forest, he would get himself entangled in some drama, but he perhaps could not, in his wildest dreams, have imagined that his new boss would call for his home country to be dismembered just days later.
Yet this is exactly what has happened, with a video currently doing the rounds on social media of Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis arguing with Boris Johnson of all people about the Russia-Ukraine war.
Marinakis: Ukraine should cede territory to stop the bloodshed
The video in question was taken at the Fifth Thessaloniki Metropolitan Summit in Greece, with Johnson appearing at the event while on holiday in the country.
Shipping magnate Marinakis discussed the effects conflicts like the war in Ukraine have on global trade and suggested that in order to 'stop children from being killed,' the country should simply cede territory to Russia.
🚨🇬🇷🇬🇧 NEW: Evangelos Marinakis and Boris Johnson argue over the war in Ukraine
Marinakis: “What I would prefer is for children to stop dying and let Russia keep parts of Ukraine”
Johnson: “Which pieces of Ukraine would you give away? Which piece of Czechoslovakia would you… pic.twitter.com/EZF5cZxoLU— Politics Global (@PolitlcsGlobal) September 5, 2025
Johnson then interceded, claiming that allowing Russia to take land would be akin to European leaders' appeasement of Nazi Germany in the Munich Agreement of 1938.
This truly surreal interaction has left football supporters online flabbergasted, and many are wondering how Zinchenko must feel about his move to Forest now.
Zinchenko's compatriot Ilia Zabarnyi has also been in the headlines this week when reports emerged of tension at PSG between the Ukraine international and Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov.
“I have to interact with him on a professional level during training and fulfil my obligations to the club," Zabarnyi said of his teammate. "But as long as the war continues, I fully support the isolation of Russian football in the world."
Safonov refused to comment when quizzed by Russian media about Zabarnyi's remarks.
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