Europe 1 with AFP 8:12 p.m., January 16, 2023

Shakhtar Donetsk football club, which has just transferred Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea for tens of millions of euros, announced on Monday that it would devote around 23 million euros to help Ukrainian soldiers and their families who are fighting against the invasion of their country by Russia.

Sharktar Donetsk will make a very nice gesture.

The Ukrainian club has decided to reverse 23 million euros to the Ukrainian army.

Having just collected a nice check with the sale of their player Mykhaylo Mudryk to Chelsea, Shaktar will therefore redistribute part of this sum. 

If part of this sum will go back to the proper functioning of the club, the president of the "Minors, Rinat Akhmetov, announced that another part, approximately 23 million euros, will be donated to the Ukrainian soldiers. "I will allocate today today 25 million dollars (23.11 million euros) to help our soldiers, their families and those who defend us", announced the president of the Ukrainian club Rinat Akhmetov, in a press release. "The money will be used for different purposes: to provide medical assistance, prostheses, psychological support."

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"Heart of Azovstal"

This project, known as "Heart of Azovstal", is specifically designed to help the defenders of the port city of Mariupol (south-east) and the families of the soldiers who fell there, after having entrenched themselves in the huge Azovstal steelworks, on the Sea of ​​Azov.

The survivors had surrendered in mid-May, after three months of intense fighting.

“Their acts of bravery are unparalleled in modern history. It was they, their sacrifice and their courage that helped contain the enemy in the early months of the war and enabled us to realize that the eventual victory of Ukraine was inevitable," added the leader.

Chelsea announced on Sunday the signing of 22-year-old Ukrainian striker Mykhailo Mudryk for eight and a half years.

Against a transfer fee of 70 million euros, which are accompanied by various bonuses of up to 30 million euros, then said Shakhtar.

"Today, if we are able to talk about Ukrainian football, it is thanks to its army, its people and the incredible support of the civilized world. Only by joining our efforts will we eliminate the evil that invaded our homes," concludes Rinat Akhmetov, born in Donetsk, who bought Shakhtar in 1996.

The oligarch also undertakes to host a friendly match against Chelsea in the future when Donetsk has fully regained its sovereignty.