A retired Ukrainian tennis star fighting Russia called its actions 'inhuman' and said he would readily kill Kremlin soldiers

• Sergiy Stakhovsky joined the Ukrainian Army shortly after the Russian invasion.
• The former tennis star says he "cannot describe" the hatred he holds towards Russia and its forces.

A Ukrainian former professional tennis star who is fighting on the front lines for his country amid the invasion has said he "cannot describe" the hatred he holds towards Russia and that he would readily kill an opposition soldier.

Sergiy Stakhovsky, who won four career titles and was once ranked as high as 31st in the world, joined the Ukrainian Army shortly after Russia invaded the country in February.

The 36-year-old had retired from tennis only a month prior.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Stakhovsky described the actions of Russian soldiers in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv where there has been reports of civilians being tortured, raped, and murdered, as "inhuman."

"You cannot describe the hatred you feel towards the Russian army," he said.

"The people who lived there, they didn't deserve it. They were not part of this war. They didn't want to participate. They were just civilians and they didn't have the chance to live."

Stakhovsky added that he would willingly kill an opposition soldier should the opportunity arrive.

"I would have no hesitation," he said. "If I saw a Russian soldier I know what I'm going to do."

Last month, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced that players from Russia and Belarus – which has served as a staging ground for the invasion – would be banned from competing at this summer's Wimbledon.

The All England Club said it was its "responsibility" to "limit Russia's global influence through the strongest means possible."

Despite widespread criticism of the decision from some of tennis' biggest stars, including Novak Djokovic and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, Stakhovsky says he stands by the call due to the lack of public protests against the invasion from Russian and Belarusian players.

Shortly after the conflict broke out, Russian player Andrey Rublev wrote "no war please" on a television camera lens in Dubai, while at the Mexico Open, fellow Russian Daniil Medvedev said he wanted to "promote peace all over the world."

However, since Russia introduced a new law in March that can lead to up to 15 years in jail for anyone considered to be spreading "fake news" about the military, most Russian sportspeople have been silent.

"In the first few weeks I honestly believed that the Russians, once they saw what the army was doing, when they're watching the destruction of cities, the bombing of cities such as Kharkiv and Kyiv that they would go out and protest," Stakhovsky told BBC Sport.

"But that didn't happen. Nobody came out. Few came to protest. There were no masses. So I stand behind it [Wimbledon's decision]."