James Down is on the lookout for fresh employment after the former Cardiff lock left Russian outfit Lokomotiv Penza in protest against the country's invasion of Ukraine.
Down, 34, joined Lokomotiv in 2020 after a 14-year rugby career in the United Kingdom, his two stints with Cardiff separated by a season-long stay at London Welsh in 2014/15.
But the second row informed his Russian employers he was headed for the exit after news of the siege on Ukraine broke, leaving all his belongings behind in favour of a swift exit.
Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, with around 400 civilian deaths confirmed by the United Nations as of March 6 (though the true total is believed to be higher).
"I made the decision I wasn't going to go back, for safety and because politically I don't agree with what is happening," said Down during a recent appearance on BBC Sport Wales' Scrum V podcast.
"I felt fine about the situation, we had left Russia for a training camp [in Turkey] and when we left we thought everything would be okay. . .we didn't think there would be an invasion, we just thought it was a political statement for leverage.
"A couple of days into the camp we heard that Russia had invaded and it was time to come home then."
It's difficult to ascertain the exact number of Ukrainian deaths caused as a result of the ongoing conflict, though at least 1.5million refugees are understood to have fled the country as a result of Putin's bombardment.
Bridgend-born Down debuted for Cardiff in January 2007 and spent another seven years with the region, briefly leaving for London Welsh to compete in England's Premiership before returning to Wales' capital in 2015.
He made more than 130 appearances for the United Rugby Championship side before leaving for Lokomotiv, where he took part in the inaugural edition of the Europe Super Cup.
Down said he was "100 per cent happy" to play in Russia and assured the majority of locals made for a "great experience," but the current war in Ukraine left him with no option but to leave.
"I just told the club I was resigning, basically," he said. "It is hard to be in a country that is doing what it is doing, an unjustifiable war.
"I don't feel comfortable being there while all this is going on.
"I don't think my club see how big this war is, I think they think this will just blow over, that's kind of their view, but they did accept my decision."
Russian forces recently destroyed a nuclear facility in Kharkiv via missile, just days after an attack on Zaporizhzhia—Europe's largest nuclear power plant—led to a fire.
The 6'7" forward explained Lokomotiv were gracious in their response and accepted "straight away" that he wanted to be closer to his family.
Down was able to spend Christmas 2021 with his family in Wales after being forced to stay in Russia the previous year, while he was also recently able to meet newborn nephew Eli for the first time.
He added it was "better to stay away" from Russia, even it meant waving goodbye to any possessions he had in his home of almost two years.
"My stuff can be replaced, my problems are nothing compared to the suffering of the Ukrainian people, it is my inconvenience, but unfortunately all my stuff is in Penza in Russia," Down concluded.
A free agent for the first time in more than 15 years, Down has decided being without a club is a small price compared to the cost the Ukrainian people are still being forced to pay.
