Transfer Centre

Shakhtar Donetsk donate more than £20m of Mykhaylo Mudryk fee to Ukrainian war relief

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 16 January 2023

Shakhtar donate more than £20m of Mudryk fee to Ukrainian war relief

Shakhtar Donetsk president Rinat Akhmetov announces that he is donating £22m of the fee generated from the sale of Mykhaylo Mudryk to Chelsea to the Ukrainian war effort against Russia.

Shakhtar Donetsk president Rinat Akhmetov has announced that he is donating £22m of the transfer fee generated from the sale of Mykhyalo Mudryk to Ukraine's efforts in the war against Russia.

On Sunday afternoon, Chelsea confirmed that they had completed the signing of the winger, the fee believed to be in the region of £88m.

Shakhtar have frequently insisted that they did not want to part ways with Mudryk for anything less than that figure, a stance which ultimately led to Arsenal missing out on one of their long-term targets.

However, rather than pocket the transfer fee that has been received in its entirety, it has been revealed that Shakhtar will put a portion of the funds towards Ukraine's war relief.

The country was invaded by Russia on February 24, leading to an ongoing military battle which is showing no signs of reaching a conclusion.

Mykhaylo Mudryk celebrates scoring for Shakhtar Donetsk against Celtic on October 25, 2022 © Reuters

In a statement on Monday, Akhmetov has said that he and Shakhtar will look to aid the nation's efforts in a bid to "defeat the evil".

Akhmetov said: "I want to thank the entire civilised world for helping Ukraine. 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 $25 million (UAH 1 billion) of the 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 also spoke on Mudryk's well-documented switch to Stamford Bridge, indicating that he would have preferred to keep the Ukraine star at the club.

"I am happy for Mykhaylo and very proud of him," Akhmetov added. "He has shown that talent and hard work can make the impossible possible. And I have no doubt he will shine at Chelsea and across Europe.

"On the other hand, I have never made it a secret that my dream is to win European trophies. This means that we need players like Mykhaylo in Ukrainian clubs, competing at the European level. Unfortunately, that is impossible at the moment, because of this unjust war being waged against us by the Russian Federation."

Shakhtar currently find themselves in second place in the Ukrainian top flight, five points adrift of leaders Dnipro with a game in hand.