According to Sportitalia, Shakhtar Donetsk’s Brazilian players are en route to Moldova, but Roberto De Zerbi and his Italian staff remain in Kiev while Ukraine is under siege.
They opted to stay behind rather than evacuate early when Russia began the invasion, then found themselves trapped in the Capital Kiev.
Shakhtar Donetsk as a club have been based in Kiev for several years, as their old stadium was bombed out in the initial 2014 battle with Russian separatists.
Former Roma and Shakhtar coach Paulo Fonseca and his family, who are Ukrainian, were able to escape to Moldova on a bus organised by the Portuguese embassy.
Fonseca and his family escape Ukraine after Russian invasion
According to Sportitalia, current Shakhtar Donetsk coach De Zerbi and his Italian members of staff are still in Kiev waiting for the all-clear to attempt an evacuation.
The plan is to drive to the border towards either Poland or Romania and stay there for a few days until they can reach Italy.
Former Sassuolo boss De Zerbi only took the Shakhtar Donetsk job in July and played in the Champions League group phase against Inter and Real Madrid.
I brasiliani dello shaktar sono diretti in Polonia in treno. Poi volo verso il Brasile. De Zerbi e lo staff italiano aspettano ok per partire in auto poi sosta di 4 giorni in Polonia o Romania per raggiungere l’Italia. Situazione drammatica @tvdellosport #sportitalia
— Michele Criscitiello (@MCriscitiello) February 26, 2022