A youth coach from Roberto De Zerbi’s Shakhtar Donetsk has been killed by Russian shelling, the Ukrainian club have announced.
The Ukrainian side were forced to leave their home in Donetsk in 2014 but the on-going invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces has turned the country into a war zone, leaving many cities decimated and homes abandoned. Roberto De Zerbi, who signed for Shakhtar last summer, managed to escape recently after being stuck in Kiev.
As announced by general director Palkin, a Shakhtar youth coach was killed by Russian shelling.
“One of our employees was killed yesterday. Youth coach. A fragment of a shell killed him. Russia is killing Ukrainians, stop this madness!
“You cannot remain silent, each of you will be guilty and responsible for the crimes committed.”
The ongoing invasion has led to many sporting sanctions, with FIFA and UEFA deciding to suspend Russian clubs and the national team from competing in their competitions, including the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. UEFA also moved the upcoming Champions League final from St Petersburg to Paris.
There’s still hope that a peaceful resolution can be reached soon, although there are some concerns that the conflict could still be exacerbated in the coming weeks.