A man who recently visited Odesa recalled how a soldier at a checkpoint asked if he knew Everton's Vitalii Mykolenko.
Kiron Reid said the Ukrainian solider thanked him for the United Kingdom's support after asking him if he knew the Everton left back. Mr Reid, who was previously a member of Liverpool City Council and a law lecturer at The University of Liverpool, spoke to the ECHO from Serbia after returning from a trip to Ukraine.
He said he had travelled across the war-torn country to see friends and visit several volunteer projects. Mr Reid reached the port city of Odesa, twinned with Liverpool, at the end of November. The 51-year-old said the power was out in Odesa when he arrived.
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But he added the Ukrainian spirit remained high despite what was happening around them. Mr Reid told the ECHO: "One soldier guarding a checkpoint stopped to to check my passport. He introduced himself as Alex, as in Alex Ferguson, and asked if I knew a Ukrainian player at Everton.
"He thanked the United Kingdom for its support throughout the war with Russia. I thought Odesa would have been the perfect city to host the European Song Contest, but it's great that Liverpool can host it and show its support."
Mr Reid told the ECHO how well thought of Liverpool is in Ukraine. He said: "Coming from Liverpool you know people are always happy to talk to you, usually about football or The Beatles. I tell them I am the person from Liverpool who knows the least about football."
Mr Reid, who lives in St Michaels, also gave fascinating insight into what life was like in the city that has been victim to intense shelling at times during the war. Just days after he left he said the city worsened significantly due to the Russian missile barrage and Iranian drones.
He told the ECHO: "When I arrived the power was out which was quite surreal driving over the cobbled streets in the darkness. There are some signs of war around us. Many of the businesses are running on their own generator.
"I had hot water but no electricity. The supermarkets were open but were often difficult to find because they are in basements of shopping malls. The supermarkets are stocked with military supplies. Restaurants and cafes are open and plenty of people are in the streets.
"But at the same time a lot of places are boarded up and there's a lot of armed police and soldiers. I even met some international volunteer fighters including two Brits and several Americans who invited me to hang out with them. Really decent guys. The Brits were called Andy and Ash."
The law professor said Ukraine was obviously undergoing a number of problems, most notably due to the energy facilities. Odesa faces daily challenges as a port city exporting goods to keep the country's economy stable during the ongoing conflict. But Mr Reid added the people of Ukraine won't give up the fight.
He told the ECHO: "Our energy and utility crews are doing truly heroic things, restoring in weeks what should require months. I thank everyone who realises how hard it is for our defenders of the sky, how hard it is for the repair and energy workers, and how hard it is for everyone who protects our lives.
"Posters in Odesa tell people to be brave like Ukraine. The people of Ukraine are resilient."
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