Forward recently moved to Dnepr-1
New striker Dnepr-1 Alexander Filippov remembered the beginning of a full-scale military invasion of Russia in Ukraine.
“It was very difficult, it is still difficult to perceive what is happening throughout Ukraine. In the first days of the war, there were serious arrivals, and my wife and child were in Chernihiv… Yes, it is very hard to look at the victims of the destruction caused to us by the aggressor country. I hope and believe that such a football club as Desna will again appear on the football map of Ukraine.
“In fact, it hurts a lot for Avdiivka, because this is my hometown. Every day I follow the news, it’s very hard to watch all this. Remaining there is already difficult to even call a city. Thank God, my mother has already left there and is safe. There are no relatives left there, but enough people still live – who do not want to leave, who do not have the opportunity. But it’s all sad and painful.”
Filippov recently signed a one-year contract with Dnepr-1. Oleksandr established himself in Desna Chernihiv, from which he moved to Saint-Truiden in 2020, playing a total of 16 matches (one goal, four assists). The striker spent last year on loan in Riga, Latvia. In 2023, Filippov did not enter the field.
Desna suspended performances in the championship of Ukraine due to significant damage to the club’s infrastructure caused by the Russian invaders. The club missed the 2022/23 UPL season and will not play next.
Earlier, the head coach of Desna, Alexander Ryabokon, said that the club would be ready to resume its activities when the hostilities in Ukraine ended. You will also have to wait for the end of the war to restore the stadium in Chernihiv destroyed by Russian troops.
Youth and Sports Minister Vadim Gutzeit said that the restoration of sports infrastructure in Chernihiv would require at least $14 million. The Yuri Gagarin Stadium, the home arena of the UPL Desna club, came under enemy shelling in early March, when Russia was actively destroying Chernihiv’s infrastructure.
It was reported that Germany and Borussia Dortmund would help restore the Yuri Gagarin Stadium. Also, the arena can be renamed in honor of Andriy “Sheriff” Kozachenko, a fan of the Chernihiv team, who died in February defending the city from Russian invaders.
Source: Sportarena
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