The Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk will provide substantial financial assistance to the country’s soldiers, engaged in the defense of the territory against the Russian invasion.
“I will allocate today 25 million dollars (23.11 million euros) to help our soldiers, their families and those who defend us”, announced Monday its president Rinat Akhmetov, in a press release. “The money will be used for different purposes: to provide medical assistance, prostheses, psychological support. »
This project, known as “Heart of Azovstal”, is specifically designed to help the defenders of the port city of Mariupol (south-east) and the families of the soldiers who fell there, after having entrenched themselves in the huge Azovstal steelworks, on the Sea of Azov. The survivors had surrendered in mid-May, after three months of intense fighting.
“Acts of bravery unparalleled in modern history”
“Their acts of bravery are unprecedented in modern history. It was they, their sacrifice and their courage that helped contain the enemy in the first months of the war and allowed us to realize that the final victory of Ukraine was inevitable,” added the leader.
Chelsea announced on Sunday the signing of 22-year-old Ukrainian striker Mykhailo Mudryk for eight and a half years. Against a transfer fee of 70 million euros, which are accompanied by various bonuses of up to 30 million euros, then said Shakhtar.
“Join our efforts to eliminate evil”
“Today, if we are able to talk about Ukrainian football, it is thanks to its army, its people and the incredible support of the civilized world. Only by uniting our efforts will we eliminate the evil that has invaded our homes,” concludes Rinat Akhmetov, born in Donetsk, who bought Shakhtar in 1996.
The oligarch also undertakes to host a friendly match against Chelsea in the future when Donetsk has fully regained its sovereignty.
Shakhtar Donetsk temporarily occupies third place in the Ukrainian championship, the matches of which are all played behind closed doors in the kyiv region. He will be Stade Rennes’ next opponent in the Europa League play-offs, the first leg of which will take place on February 16 (6:45 p.m.) in Warsaw (Poland).