SHAKHTAR Donetsk president Rinat Akhmetov has donated a big chunk of the transfer fee the club received from Chelsea for Mykhaylo Mudryk to the Ukrainian soldiers defending the country against Russian invasion.
Chelsea paid an initial €70m (£62m) for the forward, with €30m (£26.5m) to follow in add-ons, and Akhmetov has pledged £20.5m to the Ukrainian war effort.
Chelsea beat Arsenal to the signing of Mudryk on Sunday and paraded him at Stamford Bridge, where they beat Crystal Palace 1-0 in the Premier League.
Mudryk, who has agreed an eight-and-a-half-year contract, had a Ukraine flag draped over his shoulders.
Shakhtar need the money as they have been displaced from their home in Donetsk, but Akhmetov – Ukraine’s richest businessman, according to Forbes – has insisted that without his country’s soldiers there would be no football.
“I want to thank the entire civilised world for helping Ukraine,” Akhmetov said. “We can only talk about Ukrainian football because of the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian people and the tremendous support we have had during this incredibly difficult time.
“And the only way we can defeat the evil that has come to our homes is by working together.
“I am donating $25m (£20.5m) of Mykhaylo’s transfer fee to help our soldiers, defenders and their families. The money will be used to cover different needs, from providing medical and prosthetic treatment and psychological support, to meeting specific requests.
“It will be managed by an independent professional team that will work with the Azovstal defenders, their families, care providers and volunteers.
“This is the beginning of the Heart of Azovstal, a brand new project that will help the Mariupol defenders and the families of fallen soldiers.
“Their acts of bravery are unparalleled. And it is their sacrifice and courage that helped contain the enemy in the first months of the war, providing the platform for the inevitable Ukrainian victory.”
Akhmetov said he had been torn between letting Mudryk leave in order to raise funds, and to keep the talented 21-year-old to fulfil his ambition of guiding Shakhtar to European success.
“We need players like Mykhaylo in Ukrainian clubs, competing at the European level,” Akhmetov added.
“Unfortunately, that is impossible at the moment because of this unjust war being waged against us by the Russian Federation.
“I remain utterly confident we will defeat the aggressor. One of the things I look forward to most after our victory is Mykhaylo returning with his Chelsea team for a friendly match in Donbass Arena in a Ukrainian Donetsk.
“We must do everything we can to bring this day closer. We are forever indebted to our soldiers.”
