Vitaliy Mykolenko has lashed out at the perceived silence of Russian footballers in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

The Everton defender claimed that Russia's captain Artem Dzyuba will be "locked away in a dungeon" for the rest of his life.

Russia were this week expelled from the upcoming World Cup playoffs, as FIFA belatedly responded to the invasion.

The EU have also seized assets of oligarchs with links to Russian president Vladimir Putin, including prominent Everton sponsor Alisher Usmanov.

But after sharing videos of a Russian attack on Kharkiv, Mykolenko issued a strongly-worded message for Russia's footballers who have failed to speak out against Putin.

"Whilst you remain silent bastards, along with your shithead football team-mates, peaceful civilians are being killed in Ukraine," wrote the former Dynamo Kiev player in his native language.

"You will be locked in your dungeon for the rest of your life and most importantly the lives of your kids. And I'm glad."

Mykolenko also shared a video, in which he and a number of fellow Ukrainian footballers urged the footballing world to help stop the invasion of their homeland.

West Ham's Andriy Yarmolenko, and Oleksandr Zinchenko - with whom Mykolenko shared an emotional embrace at Goodison Park last weekend - are among those pleading for peace.

"Today is the 6th day of the war," said the post, "Civil people are dying. Houses and squares are disappearing, but our faith in victory is not.

"The aggressor has launched a powerful false propaganda that we must fight against by telling the truth to the whole world!

"We are Ukrainians. We are one. We are defending our land."

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