Brazilian footballers trapped in Ukraine appeal for help

'We are really desperate. We are going through chaos,' Shakhtar defender Marlon Santos wrote on Instagram.

Ukrainian clubs have long recruited Brazilian players to boost their performance on the field and to make a profit in the transfer market (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

Brazilian football players from Ukraine’s two biggest clubs have issued an appeal to the Brazilian government, saying they are trapped by the Russian military attack on Ukraine.

A group of players from Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv posted a video together with their families from a hotel where they called for support from the Brazilian authorities, joined by Uruguayan player Carlos de Pena of Dynamo.