Shakhtar: How they've kept playing away from home

Despite its people facing unthinkable hardship, Ukraine has continued to participate in international sporting events and its Ukrainian Premier League has also continued despite the logistical challenges.

Dima Prasolov is a Shakhtar Donetsk supporter and journalist covering the club. He runs the excellent Miners Weekly’s Substack covering Shakhtar and has written for a variety of publications. Here he takes a look at how Shakhtar have continued to compete both at home and in Europe, despite the ongoing conflict.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it seemed inevitable that the country’s domestic football league – along with many of its historic clubs – would cease to exist. Playing top-level professional football while missiles rain down across the country, naturally, seemed almost unimaginable.

Yet in 2022, Ukrainian football made a remarkable decision: the league would resume. The aim was simple – to offer people living through unimaginable hardship a small sense of normality. In time, a limited number of supporters were even allowed back into stadiums. While that welcome development helped keep Ukrainian football alive, it also created a host of logistical challenges for clubs.

With Ukraine’s airspace closed, teams within the country can only travel to matches via coach.

In Europe’s second-largest country, that often means gruelling journeys, with return trips to away fixtures regularly lasting up to 14 hours. Even after completing such exhausting travel, there is no guarantee a match will go ahead as planned.

If air raid sirens sound, players must leave the pitch and take shelter immediately. Sometimes the delay lasts only a few minutes; at other times, it can stretch into hours, forcing postponements.

These disruptions serve as a constant reminder of how close the war remains. In 2024, just three days before tonight’s visitors Shakhtar Donetsk were due to move into a hotel ahead of their match against Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih, that very hotel was struck by a missile.

Naturally competing in Europe places even greater demands on the club. While Shakhtar play their ‘home’ European fixtures in Kraków, as they did for last week’s semi-final, it is home in name only.

Travelling from the team’s base near Lviv can take up to seven hours each-way. Although they are often given 72 hours between matches, the relentless schedule leaves little time for proper preparation, with Shakhtar tending to manage only three training sessions per week.

These extraordinary circumstances make Shakhtar’s European campaign this season all the more remarkable. For some context, their journey began in July and is continuing into May. With the entire squad travelling from Ukraine for every European fixture, it is fair to ask how they have managed to maintain such energy so deep into the season.

Head coach Arda Turan believes the travel demands affect his side, but refuses to use them as excuses for poor performances. The 39-year-old places great emphasis on squad depth rather than relying on a fixed starting XI.

Turan regularly gives young players opportunities to prove themselves, even in high-pressure matches. So far, that approach has delivered impressive results: Shakhtar sit top of their domestic league and have reached only the third European semi-final in their history. They are also the first Ukrainian club to progress this far in Europe since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Many may wonder how, amid such difficult circumstances and a weekly routine that often resembles life on the road, Shakhtar continue to attract talented young Brazilians. The answer lies in the club’s enduring reputation. Shakhtar remain a major name in Brazil, with players recognising the opportunity to gain regular minutes in top-level European competition without the immediate pressure often placed on young signings elsewhere.

The presence of fellow Brazilians within the squad also helps ease homesickness. Kevin’s move to Fulham earlier this summer sent a powerful message: perform well at Shakhtar, and within two years you could be playing regularly in one of Europe’s top five leagues. That pathway continues to attract exciting prospects, with talents such as Isaque Silva and Marlon Gomes reportedly choosing Shakhtar despite interest from Premier League clubs.

If Shakhtar can overcome the fatigue for what could be their final European match of the season, Selhurst Park may yet witness a glimpse of the famous Joga Bonito.

Whilst Palace are favourites to progress to the final, Shakhtar have continued to defy the odds throughout the UEFA Conference League and will play without fear. Regardless of what happens tonight – or indeed in Leipzig – the Miners have done the Donbas region, and indeed the entire country proud of Ukraine, proud.