How Ukrainians are uniting behind Shakhtar in London

Artem Genne's favourite footballing memory is standing on the Donbas Arena pitch, waving the Champions League flag, before Shakhtar Donetsk faced Chelsea.

That was in 2012. Two years later, the Russian-backed capture of Donetsk led many Ukrainians to leave the city, including ardent Shakhtar supporter Genne.

A large number fled to other areas of Ukraine and beyond, with the region's football club forced to find a new home. Fourteen years later, they are still searching.

It has led Shakhtar to Kyiv, Lviv and Kharkiv in Ukraine, and Poland, Slovenia and Germany for European games.

This season they will play their home Champions League fixtures at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, with Genne, who now lives in the West Midlands, aiming to attend all four - starting with AEK Athens on Wednesday.

"When the invasion started, lots of people left, thinking that it's all going to be over in several weeks, we'll be coming back. But unfortunately, that didn't happen," he says.

"When I meet people from my home area of Ukraine abroad, it gives you a sense of home and hope.

"Knowing that you're sharing the values and you remember the times when it was different, that's important. It gives you a bit of a soft tear because that's something you cannot touch any more.

"In the UK, people are very supportive and I want to highlight that I'm extremely grateful to this country for hosting so many of our people at the most difficult time.

"When you're walking around in a Shakhtar shirt, people are clapping their hands and giving you high fives and there is no aggression whatsoever."

Dima Prasolov, who left Donetsk for Kyiv after the war started and now lives in Kent, is another who will be supporting, with fans able to buy a four-game pass.

"I was ecstatic because it's the first time in about 15 years that I will be able to buy some sort of a season ticket for Shakhtar," says Prasolov.

"It really means everything to me because it's the club I've been supporting all my life. But since the Russian invasion, for us Donbas people, watching our team regularly is almost impossible.

"For me, it's a very emotional situation, because of how much the club means to me and how dedicated myself and my family are to the club."

Indeed, the London stadium offers a brief safe haven from the uncertainty faced in Ukraine.

Chief executive Sergei Palkin says Shakhtar have had to move their under-12 team to a safer area of Kyiv following recent attacks, while their women's side had a match disrupted by a nearby drone strike.

"Every day when our team goes to the pitch, it's much more than football because behind it we have a lot of challenges every day," says Palkin.

"It's a human question, a mental question, a family question for our players, for the academy and so on. The most difficult and important challenge is uncertainty.

"You wake up in the morning and you don't know what's going to happen today or tomorrow."

Palkin adds: "Part of our role when we play in London and other cities in Europe is to send these messages and remind people what's going on."

Ukrainians in war-ravaged Donbas weigh prospects of peace deal

This week's occasion is more important than just watching Shakhtar. It will be a chance for Ukrainians to come together in London, even involving rival fans.

The dynamic of Ukrainian football support has changed for many clubs since the invasion in 2022. Shakhtar's fanbase, meanwhile, has shifted since 2014, with many ultras fighting in the war but still supporting their clubs from afar.

"My two friends are supporters of Dynamo Kyiv, but in Europe we support each other," Genne says.

"It's about representation of the country. The hooligans don't fight any more with each other because they know they have one enemy and it's not the football enemy."

The decision to play in London was met with some scepticism in Ukraine because of the difficulty for fans to visit the UK - a visa costs £135 and you must apply at least three months before entering.

One Shakhtar fan, who is speaking anonymously but attends many home and away games in Ukraine, says: "That sort of money for some Ukrainians is a monthly income. And no-one has time in Ukraine now to wait a few months for a visa.

"So the poor thing is we want to support the team, but we can't go to support because the regulation in England is crazy now."

Instead, fans will watch in pubs all over the country, with similar support from beyond Shakhtar's traditional fanbase.

The fan adds: "When Shakhtar play, it's like a big family. It's more than rivalry because they represent Ukraine. Ukraine is always the first place. Then comes football."

It is expected many fans in attendance will be travelling from within the UK to watch Shakhtar, which is a common occurrence for the Miners when they have previously played away games in England.

When tickets went on sale for the club's away leg against Crystal Palace in the Europa Conference League semi-final last season, and when they played Arsenal in the 2024-25 Champions League campaign, Shakhtar's allocation sold out in an hour.

Prasolov explains: "The club are making a big gamble on the existing Ukrainian population in London, of which in west London there is a big Ukrainian diaspora that's been there for a number of years.

"They are actually a very passionate fanbase of all things Ukraine. Any time Ukrainian teams plays in London, they always turn up.

"There will be lots of Ukrainian national songs and chants. It will be a good atmosphere for sure. I think people will enjoy it. It will be very friendly."

It is also an opportunity to celebrate Ukrainian culture, with many fundraising activities helping to fund supplies in their home country.

"There's a massive community," says Genne. "There are constantly events like concerts with Ukrainian artists and they fund-raise for med kits, for equipment, for everything.

"We're all united by the symbol to liberate our country and to do what we can. Even though we're far away, we help with what we can.

"It's great that there will be another reason for Ukrainians to get together. It'll be something positive rather than something that's not so positive, which unfortunately is happening a lot more lately."

The club want to use this opportunity to bolster relations with Ukrainians living in London.