250 football fans have already died defending Ukraine
The match of the 25th round of the UPL Dynamo – Polesie became not only a bright match at the home stadium of the Kiev team, but also an important memorable event. The capital’s club, together with the Tribune of Heroes Foundation, dedicated this game to the memory of the fallen white-blue ultras.
Unfortunately, it is the Dynamo fan movement that suffers the greatest losses among the fallen fans in the war – 47 Kiev fans returned home “on the shield”. The families of the heroes were invited to this fight.
“Unfortunately, 250 football fans have already died in the war, 47 of them are representatives of the Dynamo fan movement. And these events are important precisely in order to pay tribute to the memory and respect of those guys who will forever remain on the Tribune of Heroes – said co-founder of the Tribune of Heroes Foundation Dmitry Kukuruza. “Support for the families of fallen soldiers is no less important. For them, such events are significant, because they know that the feat of their relatives has not been forgotten, and there is always support nearby. We have once again proven that the football family is a close-knit mechanism that has come together for help, memory and support.”
The Memorial Match began with a minute of silence in honor of the loyal fans who returned from the war “on the shield”, and children from the families of fallen heroes accompanied the teams on the field. The first symbolic blow in the game was dealt by 8-year-old Savva and 9-year-old Anastasia, children from the families of representatives of the Dynamo fan movement: Maxim Yalovtsov and Ruslan Kurulyak.
Maxim Yalovtsov (call sign “Rugby Player”) is a legendary participant in the ultras movement, one of the leaders of the Capitals team, coach and public figure. Died on September 21, 2022 while performing a combat mission behind enemy lines in the Zaporozhye direction.
Ruslan Kurulyak (call sign “Oblomov”) – originally from Zhitomir, a fan of the Dynamo and Polesie football clubs, a participant in the war in the East since 2014. Died on January 24, 2023 while performing a combat mission behind enemy lines in the Kherson direction.
“Such actions are very important now, because we must remember our Heroes, because they died for our future. And this is our social mission – to support their families, because they need psychological and moral support. Of course, it cannot be said that the atmosphere was positive, but the most important thing we saw today was the smiles on the faces of the children. But this event was very sensitive for everyone. And not only for families, but in general for all people present at the stadium,” summed up Yaroslav Gonchar, director of Dynamo’s fan relations department.
Also: More than 100 families of deceased football fans supported the Ukrainian national team in the match against Iceland
“First of all, this match is about memories of Sergei, who once played football at Dynamo. But then he got injured and had to decide what to do next – get treatment, stay in sports or get a higher education. And Sergei decided to quit professional sports, but football remained in his life. Of course, he hardly told me about his participation in the fan movement, – said the father of the fallen Dynamo fan, social activist Sergei Pavlichenko – Dmitry Pavlichenko. – And when such events happened to us, when my son and I were accused of a crime in which we were not involved, ultras came out for us, and then ultras from all over Ukraine united around this. The ultras helped us and united for justice.”
“This match was an unusual event for me. We have 47 dead ultras from Dynamo alone. And I believe that each of them should be given the title of Hero of Ukraine, because they gave the most precious thing, that they have life. These are our heroes and we must honor them. These guys, they should be saints for us.”
The Tribune of Heroes Foundation has more than one special game in its plans. The Tribune of Heroes Charitable Foundation was created by Ukrainian fans. Its main task is systematic support for the families of football fans killed in the war from all over Ukraine and everyone involved in football, both financially, psychologically and legally.
You can support the families of the deceased ultras of all Ukrainian clubs by link.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ben Stock and I work in Athletistic as an author. My specialty is covering football news and other related topics. I have been writing for this website since the past 2 years, crafting compelling stories with the latest updates in the sports world. My articles have gained widespread appreciation amongst readers due to their accuracy and depth of research.
