Shakhtar Donetsk owner donates £20m to Ukraine soldiers and war victims after sale of Mykhaylo Mudryk to Chelsea
Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk owner Rinat Akhmetov is donating more than £20m of the transfer fee received from Chelsea for the sale of Ukrainian footballer Mykhailo Mudryk to help support those affected by the war in Ukraine, including soldiers and their families.
The 22-year-old winger was unveiled at Stamford Bridge during the Blues' 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, following his £62m transfer from the Ukrainian champions, a fee that could rise to £88m depending on performances.
The transfer fee is a reward for the Shakhtar Donetsk club, where Mykhaylo played since 2016, and which held out in negotiations with Arsenal to get the best price possible for their young star.
It is the highest transfer fee ever received by a Ukrainian club and comes as a financial boost for Shakhtar after the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week ruled that Fifa acted legally in allowing foreign players to cancel their contracts at Ukrainian clubs following Russia's invasion last February. Shakhtar claimed they had lost out on more than £35m in transfer revenue.
The Shakhtar Donetsk club was displaced from its home in Donetsk by the war.
Billionaire club president Mr Akhmetov is Ukraine's richest man and stated he would be sending £20m in support of his fellow countrymen and women.
He wrote: "I am allocating $25m today 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.
"To ensure transparency, the project will have a professional independent team that will be in touch with the Azovstal defenders, their families, care providers, and volunteers.
"We are forever indebted to our soldiers."
Mr Akhmetov added that it was "impossible" for Shakhtar to hold on to talented players like Mudryk due to the ongoing war against Russia.
Mudryk said in response to the agreement: "I'm so happy to sign for Chelsea.
"This is a huge club, in a fantastic league and it is a very attractive project for me at this stage of my career."
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