THIS week I spoke to three people, separated by thousands of miles, destined never to meet, who are helping to fight against Vladimir Putin through the power of sport.

This morning, Andriy, my new friend from Ukraine, cursed Vladimir Putin. Explicitly, furiously and articulately.

We had been exchanging messages for 48 hours after our love of sport brought us together. Prior to signing off he told me he was expecting refugees from Kharkiv to arrive at his home. “This war is awful. We will fight for Ukraine and freedom with our last breath. But you must also tell the world we need help.”

With draconian laws passed in Russia that will see people jailed for 15 years for spreading “fake news” about the war in Ukraine, it is vital that the truth about the appalling invasion is shared with ordinary Russians in a bid to influence public opinion under Putin. 

Kris runs a pub in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. He has been busy raising money to send to Ukraine. He told me that during breaks and after last orders at his bar, he Googles Russian restaurants and sports teams, and in the section left for reviews on their sites, or in the place to post sporting opinion, he tells the truth to ordinary Russians about what exactly is happening in Ukraine.

“We identify a Russian football team, or hockey team or basketball team big and small, and on their website or pages, we post a comment,” Kris told me.

“However instead of the comment being about the sport, we write the truth about what is happening in Ukraine. Or we post a picture or image of the bombing and shelled out buildings.

“We only want to share the truth that their media is suppressing,” Kris told me. And while Google is attempting to disable such ingenious acts, his solidarity with Ukraine is inspiring.