'I know you like to show your balls on camera... now show them in real life': West Ham's Ukrainian star Andriy Yarmolenko brings up Russia captain Artem Dzyuba's notorious SEX TAPE as he calls on Russian players to speak out on the war

• Russia's invasion of Ukraine has entered its seventh day with renewed attacks
• West Ham's Ukrainian star Andriy Yarmolenko was granted compassionate leave
• The 32-year-old has now slammed Russian players on Instagram for their silence
• The forward urged Russian internationals to stand together and 'show their balls'
• The Premier League showed its support for Ukraine over the weekend's fixtures

West Ham's Ukrainian forward Andriy Yarmolenko has called out Russian players for their silence on Vladamir Putin's invasion of his homeland as he referenced national team captain Artem Dzyuba's infamous sex tape. 

Russia invaded Ukraine last Thursday in what it called a special operation to demilitarise and 'denazify' the country - a justification dismissed by Kyiv and the West as propaganda. 

Yarmolenko, who is his country's third most-capped player of all time, was granted compassionate leave by West Ham on Sunday and he therefore missed their win over Wolves, but all of his team-mates wore shirts with his name on the back during their warm-up.

Following the weekend's Premier League action, the 32-year-old reportedly made a huge £75,000 donation to his country's Armed Forces.

But Yarmolenko took his support of his homeland one step further on Wednesday as he took to Instagram to slam Russian footballers for remaining silent in the wake of the violence. 

He posted a video to his profile, tagging players, including Russia captain Artem Dzyuba, Atalanta's Aleksei Miranchuk and Valencia's Denis Cheryshev.

Yarmolenko also tagged former Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin, Dynamo Moscow's Arsen Zakharyan and Spartak Moscow's Zelimkhan Bakaev, among others.

He urged the Russian players to unite and 'show their balls in real life' - in reference to a leaked 2020 video, which allegedly showed Dzyuba masturbating.

‘I’m Andriy Yarmolenko, a Ukrainian national player, I was born in Saint Petersburg but grew up in Ukraine and regard myself as 100 per cent Ukrainian,' Yarmolenko said in the Instagram clip.

'I have a question for Russian players. Guys, why are you sitting like s***heads, and not saying anything? 

'In my country they’re killing people, killing wives, killing mothers, killing our children. But you saying nothing, you’ve given no comments. 

‘Tell me please, what will happen if all of you together, united, show the people what is really happening in my country. 

'I know a lot of you, I’m familiar with many of you and you all told me "it shouldn’t be like this", that your president is acting incorrectly.

‘So guys, you have influence over the people, show this, I am asking you, please! 

'I know some of you like to show your balls on camera but now the time’s come to show your balls in real life.

'Thank you for your attention! Glory to Ukraine.' 

It comes after Dzyuba and his men were kicked out of the Qatar World Cup by FIFA, with Poland given a bye to a qualifying play-off final against Sweden or Czech Republic later this month.

FIFA had appeared reluctant to expel Russia from the World Cup given president Gianni Infantino's close links to Vladimir Putin but on Sunday they made it clear that they would be guided by the IOC — and that the sporting world should be united in response to the invasion of Ukraine. 

The Premier League showed its support for Ukraine at the weekend with Ukrainian flags being held aloft throughout stands at stadiums, while Liverpool and Chelsea carried wreaths prior to their Carabao Cup final clash.   

Yarmolenko was among a number of Ukrainian footballers to have united in a passionate video plea to urge fans, players and coaches to 'stop the destruction and bloodshed' in their homeland following Russia's devastating invasion.

The players, also including Oleksandr Zinchenko and Vitaliy Mykolenko, have filmed themselves speaking into the camera to deliver a message they hope will bring about the end of the war.  

On Saturday, Everton's Mykolenko and Manchester City's Zinchenko walked out with Ukraine flags draped around them and embraced prior to Saturday's league match between the two sides.

Earlier this week, Everton left-back Mykolenko launched a similar scathing attack on Russian players.

In a post on Instagram, the 22-year-old slammed Russia captain Dzyuba and his 's***head team-mates' for not speaking out against Putin's invasion, claiming they will be 'locked away in a dungeon for the rest of your life'. 

'Whilst you remain silent b**** along with your s***head football team-mates, peaceful civilians are being killed in Ukraine,' Mykolenko - who joined Everton in January from Dynamo Kyiv - posted.

'You will be locked in your dungeon for the rest of your life and most importantly the lives of your kids. And I'm glad.'

Meanwhile, Zinchenko last week uploaded a photo of Putin captioned: 'I hope you die the most painful suffering death, creature,' as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of his homeland.

It was then alleged that Zinchenko's swiftly deleted post had disappeared from Instagram without his knowledge.

Zinchenko then joined a vigil outside Manchester's Central Library on Thursday evening, and was visibly upset on the day, as well as two days later when he was seen shedding tears before kick-off at Goodison Park. 

Putin's invasion has entered its seventh day with renewed attacks on all fronts including an expected assault on the city of Zaporizhzhia, which houses Europe's largest nuclear power plant. 

And FIFA's latest move is just one of many in the sporting world which has seen Russia cast into the sporting wilderness, with their athletes and national teams barred from international competitions with immediate effect.

UEFA are almost certain to kick Russia out of the women’s Euros in England this summer, when they are due to play group matches against Holland, Switzerland and Sweden and could have faced England in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile in the Europa League, Spartak Moscow were removed with German side RB Leipzig advancing to the quarter-finals as a result.

UEFA also terminated a sponsorship deal worth £33.5million a year with Russian energy company Gazprom, while Manchester United cancelled their £40m sponsorship deal with Russian state-owned airline Aeroflot.

The IOC recommended similar bans be introduced by all sports, with the possible exception of the Winter Paralympics due to the proximity of the Games, which begin in Beijing on Friday.

Russian domestic sport and leagues were permitted to continue.

In Formula One, Nikita Mazepin, who is the son of a billionaire oligarch with close links to Russian president Putin, was allowed to continue to drive for the Haas team but only under a neutral flag.

Ukraine war: The latest 

• Russian paratroopers land in Ukraine's second city amid heavy fighting
• 'There are practically no areas left in Kharkiv where an artillery shell has not yet hit': Interior Ministry official 
• Joe Biden brands Vladimir Putin a 'dictator' in his annual State of the Union address as he bans Russian aircraft from US airspace
• Russia steps up its bombing campaign and missile strikes, hitting Kyiv's main television tower, two residential buildings in a town west of the city and the city of Bila Tserkva to the south of the capital
• Russian forces push into the besieged Black Sea city of Kherson in the south
• Russian attacks leave Mariupol, another Black Sea port further to the west without electricity
•  More than 677,000 people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion, the UN's refugee agency says
• The UN's International Court of Justice says it will hold public hearings on March 7 and 8 over Ukraine's allegations of 'genocide' by Russia
• Russia blocks an independent television channel and a liberal radio station, tightening a virtual media blackout
• A string of Western companies announce they are freezing or scaling back business with Russia
• Russians race to withdraw cash after the introduction of capital controls and as the ruble hits record lows 
• Russian-owned Nord Stream 2 goes insolvent after Germany halts the pipeline following Moscow's invasion
• Oil prices soar past $110 a barrel, despite agreements to release 60 million barrels from stockpiles
• The World Bank prepares a $3-billion aid package for Ukraine, including $350 million in immediate funds