Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko insists he ‘stands with Israel’ on social media – before deleting the post amid backlash from fans – as the Ukrainian is subjected to hateful online abuse ahead of clash with old club Man City

Arsenal full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has decided to restrict his Instagram profile from the public after he was targeted by online social media trolls after he posted that he ‘stands with Israel’.

The Ukrainian joined millions of online users around the world who posted heartfelt messages of support for Israel, but was quickly subjected to vile abuse.

Over the weekend, Hamas militants launched rocket attacks on Israel and invaded parts of the country, killing civilians and kidnapping others with swift retaliation later.

Zinchenko has been a voice of support for his native Ukraine during their ongoing conflict with Russia after Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion that only began in February last year.

The Arsenal defender – who was busy preparing for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Manchester City – demonstrated his unity with Israel in a similar way to many world leaders by posting an image on his Instagram story.

Oleksandr Zinchenko was subjected to vile abuse on social media after he posted a message of support for Israel

Zinchenko posted this update on his Instagram story regarding the ongoing feud between Israel and Hamas militants

Featuring the Star of David – a religious symbol recognized by the Jewish community, which is Israel’s main religion – the story update read: ‘I stand with Israel’.

However, his post opened the floodgates for anonymous abusers to target Zinchenko with outrageous retorts that show the dark side of social media.

The 26-year-old previously appeared in a Game4Ukraine charity match at Stamford Bridge in August and used to raise money to help the war-torn nation.

His beliefs were attacked this time with one profile hiding behind an image of someone else, replying to Zinchenko’s update: ‘Funny how he’s the one crying about what Russia is doing to Ukraine.’

Another said: ‘Same guy wants us to sympathize with his beloved Ukraine. Disgusting.’

A third profile on Twitter drew comparisons to Mason Greenwood who was arrested earlier last year on suspicion of attempted rape and assault before the charges were eventually dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.

The online post read: ‘Aside from Zinchenko, Greenwood is easily the most obnoxious footballer in the world.’

Zinchenko is preparing to play Sunday’s Premier League game against Man City

Zinchenko’s Instagram profile has since been switched to private mode

A third comment from a Manchester City supporter said: ‘He is one of the most unacceptable footballers out there.’

Zinchenko responded to the online vitriol by making the surprising decision to limit his Instagram account to private and take down the story update.

Footballers use their social media profiles to promote sponsorship deals and connect with supporters and Zinchenko boasts 2.5 million Instagram followers at the time of publication.

Other athletes have previously weighed in on the Israel-Palestine feud with Riyad Mahrez, Mohamed Salah and Mesut Ozil making public social media statements two years ago calling for an end to military violence in the region.