How has Ukraine’s Premier League held up after a year of war with Russia?
Friday marks a year since Vladimir Putin’s Russian troops invaded the east of Ukraine, an act that would have ramifications on how so many would live their lives.
And while, looking on from afar, the West can appreciate the basics of what is unfolding in the country, few understand the true impact the war has had on all aspects of life.
Ukraine talent drain
And while the 2021-2022 season was abandoned due to the conflict, the 16-team league returned just months later – albeit without two teams, Desna Chernihiv and Mariupol, who withdrew due to Russian occupation or stadium damage.
Despite the league being back up and running, with some sides playing their domestic and European matches in the likes of Slovakia, there has been a severe talent drain in the country.
Shakhtar Donetsk, who are in the Europa League, sold Ukraine left wing Mykhalio Mudryk to Chelsea for €70m (£62m) – way above his market value – while making nearly €50m (£44m) off five other permanent signings in the January transfer window.
“The talent drain is bad in the long-term,” says Andrew Todos, the London-based founder of Ukrainian football website Zorya Londonsk. “Right now the league hasn’t fully felt the potential consequences of everything that is going on.
“Shakhtar can still carry on ticking over for the next year or so based on the fact that they sold Mudryk but the fact is that they have lost about 15 players that they could have made a lot of money on.”
World governing body Fifa imposed a regulation last year stating that players could leave teams in the Ukrainian leagues without a fee to ensure that those athletes could continue playing football.
Solomon on a free
This has been a double-edged sword. Clubs across the world are getting quality players without paying transfer fees while Ukrainian sides are haemorrhaging footballers without cash in return, meaning they hold out for higher prices wherever they can.
“A good example of this is Manor Solomon, he joined Fulham last summer [on a loan spell under the Fifa regulation],” Todos adds. “He went for nothing and he will be leaving for nothing after his current Shakhtar contract is up.
“I feel that this summer, once the Fifa ruling expires, it will be renewed again if there is no change in the war.
“It’s unfair from Fifa’s perspective where players have been allowed to go for free because Shakhtar, who have lost a fair amount of players, would have allowed some of their players to leave for next to nothing as long as they accumulated something.”
1-0
Ukraine has been hit by a troubling circumstance where established and promising footballers from the Eastern European nation and beyond are leaving the country.
But following the war, and when a rebuild occurs, there’s a sense of importance surrounding all 16 teams returning to Ukraine, foreign powers helping in the reconstruction, and the eventual development of depth in the international side again.
“Provided it is done safely, it’s absolutely right that top-flight sport in Ukraine should start up again,” Bob Seely MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Ukraine, tells Morning Wire “It’s a great way of showing that Ukrainians can stand up to the Kremlin’s aggression by getting on with their lives. 1-0 Ukraine.”
Todos agrees. “Especially with the way the whole footballing community and the global community have responded to this war, which in my opinion is quite unique, there will be real help and unity and assistance in the rebuild and the return of Ukrainian football at its best.” he says.
As many will undoubtedly mark Friday by reflecting on the horrors of the previous 12 months, sport can be a shining light for communities the world over. Ukraine has powered through the last year by continuing its domestic league, and come the end of the invasion, there seems to be a determination to restore the glory of the Ukrayinska Premier Liha.