Ukraine

Powerful moment before the Nuggets and Kings game Thursday -- the teams, including Ukrainian-born Sacramento center, Alex Len, locked arms in a show of solidarity as war rages on in Ukraine.

Len is 1 of 2 NBA players from Ukraine. Svi Mykhailiuk, a forward from the Toronto Raptors, is the other player.

The show of unity between the teams comes in the wake of Russia launching a violent military attack in Ukraine ... sparking international condemnation and concern over the situation on the ground in eastern Europe.

It's obviously been a very difficult time for Len ... and he clearly appreciated his teammates and the opposing players on the Nuggets for the gesture.

"Thank you to my Kings family and the Denver Nuggets for your solidarity and support of Ukraine tonight," Alex wrote on Instagram.

Len also shared a joint statement on social media with Mykhailiuk condemning the awful attacks perpetrated by the Russian military.

"Ukraine is a peaceful, sovereign state inhabited by people who want to decide their own destiny. We pray for our families, friends, relatives, and all the people who are in the territory of Ukraine."

"We hope for an end to this terrible war as soon as possible. "Dear fellow Ukrainians, Hold on! Our strength is in unity! We are with you!"

Alvin Gentry -- head coach of the Kings -- spoke with reporters before the game ... telling the media he had a team meeting with Len, and the coach asked for prayers for his loved ones.

"I just like for you guys to kinda keep him in your prayers and hopefully his family is going to remain safe."

Hall of Fame boxers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko are preparing for the biggest fight of their lives -- the Ukrainian brothers are vowing to defend their country from the Russian attacks.

Wladimir spoke out about the invasion of his country on Thursday ... condemning Putin's actions and pledging to join in the fight with the Ukrainian people against the Russian regime.

"I am writing to you from Kyiv, the capital of a country at war, a country being attacked and invaded from all sides," the former heavyweight champ said. "It is not 'the war of Ukraine,' it is Putin's war."

"Putin wants to call into question the geopolitical balance across the whole of Europe, he dreams of being the defender of the Slavic peoples wherever they live, and he wants to restore a fallen empire whose demise he has never accepted."

Wladimir went on to say the Ukrainian people have chosen democracy, but he knows democracy is a fragile regime and him and his brother, Vitali, are ready to fight for it.

Vitali -- the mayor of Kyiv -- told "Good Morning Britain" in an interview he was "prepared to take up arms" if need be to halt the Russian invasion.

The Klitschko brothers also released a passionate video ... calling on all countries to observe what's happening and unite against Russia.

Arnold Schwarzenegger -- a longtime friend of the Klitschko bros. -- sent a message of gratitude to the boxing legends ... lauding them for their courage in the midst of this difficult time.

A group of Ukrainian border guards' final words are now preserved on audio -- as they faced death from Russian sailors ... they simply told the Russians to f**k off.

According to an audio recording, 13 Ukrainian soldiers who were killed Thursday while defending Zmiinyi -- or Snake Island -- gave a powerful final message as the Russian aggressors on a warship threatened to open fire.

The Russians got on a loudspeaker and demanded the Ukrainians surrender or else. In the tense moments that followed you can hear the Ukrainian guards discussing how they should respond.

One of the guards said, "Should I tell them to go f**k themselves?" ... and then uttered it over the radio. The Russians followed through and bombed the location killing all the soldiers stationed there.

Snake Island is located off the country’s southeastern shoreline, and had been approached by 2 Russian vessels after President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion.

Formula 1 will NOT return to Russia in September ... with organizers saying it is "impossible" to hold the event in Sochi following the attack on Ukraine.

"We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation," the org. said in a statement Friday.

"On Thursday evening Formula 1, the FIA, and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances."

As we previously reported, superstars like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen voiced their opposition to holding the race in Sochi after Russia attacked Ukraine ... with the 4-time champ saying, "I think it’s wrong to race in that country."

The Russian G.P. has been on the F1 schedule since 2014 ... and Vladimir Putin has attended the event in the past -- even handing out the trophy to winners on the podium, including Lewis Hamilton and Valtterri Bottas.

AnnaLynne McCord might think she has the perfect response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine -- spoken word poetry -- but she's getting blasted for it.

The former "90210" reboot star's fending off serious backlash after tweeting a more than 2-minute long poem, essentially begging Vladimir Putin for peace. She posted it shortly after Russian forces began the assault, and opens with ... “Dear President Vladimir Putin, I’m so sorry that I was not your mother. I can’t imagine how it feels in your heart, but I know if I was your mother, I would be a start."

AnnaLynne goes on to plead for Putin to put an end to the unbridled aggression, while treating him like one of her own kids. The Internet's response to that is basically ... 9-Ohh no she didn't!!!

Some posted replies directly to Anna include, “Jesus christ the self centeredness of this all is mind numbing” ... and “Just sing ‘Imagine’ next time. It’s easier than whatever this is” -- a reference to Gal Gadot's infamous posting when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

All in all, the poem's been ripped as tone deaf.

On the opposite end of the spectrum ... Sean Penn's been praised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his presence within the country.

As we reported, Sean is there shooting a documentary in hopes of shining a light on the conflict. President Zelenskyy says Sean is showing "courage and honesty" -- characteristics he says many western politicians are lacking ... a clear shot at the U.S and other European nations' refusal to intercede.

As we've reported, Russia is attacking Ukraine on the ground and from the air -- fighter jets have started bombing runs on or near residential homes.

If the Russian Grand Prix goes down as planned in September, Sebastian Vettel won't be there -- the 4-time Formula 1 champ says he will boycott the race over the attack on Ukraine.

"For myself, my opinion is I should not go, I will not go," the Aston Martin driver said Thursday. "I think it’s wrong to race in that country."

"I’m sorry for the people, innocent people who are losing their lives, getting killed for stupid reasons under a very strange and mad leadership."

34-year-old Vettel says he was in disbelief over the development ... and calls it "horrible" to witness.

"I'm just really shocked and sad to see what's going on. We will see going forward, but I think my decision is already made."

The Russian GP is currently slated to go down on September 25 ... but F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said the org. will meet to determine whether or not to pull the race following the recent developments.

"Formula One is closely watching the very fluid developments like many others and at this time has no further comment on the race scheduled for September," F1 said in a statement.

"We will continue to monitor the situation very closely."

Vettel isn't the only champ sounding off on the Russia/Ukraine conflict -- Red Bull's Max Verstappen also weighed in on Thursday.

"When a country is at war it's not correct to race there, that's for sure."

Sean Penn is in the thick of the Russian invasion of Ukraine ... and he's filming a documentary the Ukrainians say will tell the world the truth about what's going down.

Sean popped up Thursday in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, after the Russians invaded ... and Ukraine's government says Penn is there to capture the conflict on film.

The Office of the President of Ukraine says Sean is showing "courage and honesty" ... characteristics they say are lacking among many western politicians.

As you see, Sean sat in on a press briefing Thursday in Kyiv ... listening to government officials. The Ukrainians say Sean also spoke to journalists, the military to understand how the Ukrainians are mounting a defense.

Sean first arrived in Ukraine back in November, according to the government, preparing for his documentary by visiting with the Ukrainian military.

As we reported ... Russia is attacking Ukraine from all angles, dropping bombs and sending folks running from their homes.

The Union of European Football Associations is not playing around -- the soccer org. is taking swift action and is expected to move its Champions League Final out of Russia after the country launched an attack on Ukraine.

The Final was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 28 at Krestsovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg ... but according to reports, that's no longer the case.

UEFA wasted no time kickstarting the search for a replacement host shortly after the news broke ... releasing a statement saying the matter will be addressed on Friday.

The org. released a statement ... saying, "Following the evolution of the situation between Russia and Ukraine, the UEFA president has called an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee for 10 a.m. CET [4 a.m. ET] on Friday 25 February."

UEFA officials say the purpose of the meeting is "to evaluate the situation and take all necessary decisions" ... and that they'll release further information after the conclusion of the conference.

The governing body for European football expressed serious concern over what's happening between the neighboring countries ... condemning Russia's military-style invasion of Ukraine.

"UEFA shares the international community’s significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe," the Union said in a statement.

The statement continued ... "As the governing body of European football, we are dealing with this situation with the utmost seriousness and urgency."

FC Schalke 04, a professional German soccer club, is removing the patch of a Russian majority state-owned energy company after Vladimir Putin's armed forces invaded Ukraine, a sovereign nation.

"Following recent developments, FC Schalke 04 have decided to remove the logo of main sponsor GAZPROM from the club's shirts," the club announced in a statement.

"It will be replaced by lettering reading 'Schalke 04' instead."

Gazprom -- the largest natural gas company in the world -- is the club's biggest sponsor ... and the company name is prominently displayed across the player's chests on their jerseys.

Of course, after weeks of increased tensions, Russia invaded Ukraine, launching a full-fledged attack against the country.

Dozens of people have already reportedly died.

FC Schalke 04 wasn't alone in working with the powerful energy company. UEFA, the governing body that oversees European soccer, also has a business relationship with Gazprom.

Unlike FC Schalke 04, UEFA hasn't opted (at least not yet) to cut ties with the company ... though they did release a statement condemning the attacks.

"UEFA shares the international community's significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe and strongly condemns the ongoing Russian military invasion of Ukraine."

That's not to say the soccer body hasn't taken any action against Russia. The country was scheduled to host the Champions League final in Spring, but UEFA decided to pull the game.

They haven't yet named a replacement city.

Emmanuel Macron is in Moscow trying to smooth over the whole Ukraine crisis with Vladimir Putin -- but based on the room they're sitting in, there's gonna be a lot of yelling.

Peep this photo of the French and Russian presidents -- almost literally worlds apart -- at the Kremlin Monday. The talks were held at this absurdly long table, and while it's hard to imagine how they even heard each other ... neither looks too happy to be there.

The image hardly instills confidence they can find a peaceful resolution to the ominous situation on the Ukraine border ... where Russian troops have mobilized, seemingly ready to invade at the drop of a hat.

Remember, this is Putin’s turf ... so, presumably, he’s the one who suggested they come to this supersized table. Perhaps he didn’t realize how it’d look to the outside world -- or, on the flip side, he knew exactly how this would play, optically ... and did it on purpose.

Either way, it’s pretty crazy to see. The U.S. isn’t sitting this out BTW -- President Biden met up with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday to discuss the very same thing, trying to give diplomacy another chance before things escalate further.