According to the UNHCR, approaching 5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia began its attack on the country on February 24th.

Yet even before then there were an estimated six million Ukrainians living abroad, some of them studying at Universities in Munich, Germany.

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Munich's Ukrainian footballers

In 2010 some of those Ukrainian students started up a hobby football team in the sports loving city of European champions Bayern München. Today FC Ukrajina München is a fixture in the Royal Bavarian League.

Vitalii Diachun haș been the team's manager for the past eight years and says the conflict back in their homeland has everyone on the team worried.

"My parents are currently in Ukraine. Also my wife's parents," he tells CGTN in the middle of a football field in Munich. "I worry about them all, for my people, for my friends that stayed in Ukraine, for those who are fighting or trying to help. It is very painful and scary to think about how our nation is being forced to survive in war."

All 30 players of FC Ukrajina München have family and friends back in their homeland. "I have relatives in central Ukraine and in Southern Ukraine, in the city of Melitopol," announces Roman Bilan, the team's right back.

Melitopol was one of the first cities to be occupied by Russian forces and continues to be hled by them. These men might not be physically present to witness the bombings back in Ukraine, but the physiological toll the conflict is having on them is palpable.

"Three from the team returned to Ukraine and are now fighting against Russian forces as part of Armed Forces of Ukraine," Vitalli admits. Others, he says, have "fought for their country" through volunteer work across Munich.

"We are doing our best to help from abroad with volunteer activities, fundraising to purchase gear and medical supplies."

Relieving the stress

Sport has become even more important during this period says the team's midfielder and coach Palvo Drul.

"For sure sport helps," he says. "We have an opportunity to tune out for several hours, to run out all the negative we have inside, all that we have seen from the tragic situations all over Ukraine."

Leading psychologists agree that any sport can help elevate traumatic stress and it is being increasingly used by specialists dealing with children who have experienced conflict or natural disasters.

"It is two hours of something different," adds Vitalli. "We just switched off our minds and allowed us to continue fighting on this front."

CGTN joined FC Ukrajina München during a game against FC Georgia München - a team with roots in another country scarred by Russian invasion.

"Their territory is 20 percent occupied by Russia," says Roman. "So they do understand us. They are in touch with us and are always helping us."

In 2008, Russian troops fought Georgians for two breakaway territories, which remain in Moscow's control 14 years later.

The match ended on this Munich field with a victory for the Ukrainian team, but they know their country still has a long battle ahead.