2 Ukrainian Footballers Killed as Russian Invasion and Violence Continues

• 2 Ukrainian footballers have been killed as the Russian invasion of Ukraine goes into day 6

• The first casualty was 21-year-old Vitalii Sapylo, a youth team player with Karpaty Lviv, who died after joining the army as a tank commander

• 25-year-old Dmytro Martynenko, a player for FC Gostomel passed away when his apartment block was bombed by Russian forces

Even though Russia has been hit with several sanctions from countries and companies worldwide, the country has not been deterred in its effort to seize Ukraine as the invasion goes into day 6.

FIFPRO announced on Tuesday afternoon that two Ukrainian footballers have been killed in the Russian invasion, becoming sport’s first losses to be confirmed as a result of the attack.

Vitali Sapylo, a youth team player for the Ukrainian second division team, Lviv, is one of the casualties. The 21-year-old fell in a battle near the country’s capital of Kyiv after he volunteered as a tank commander.

Dmytro Martynenko, an amateur player for FC Gostomel, is the other football death in Ukraine. The 25-year-old died alongside his mother when a bomb hit his apartment block close to Kyiv.

Read also: Air Peace Set to Begin Evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine as War Continues

The statement released by FIFPRO confirming their deaths read:

“Our thoughts are with the families, friends, and team-mates of young Ukrainian footballers Vitalii Sapylo and Dmytro Martynenko, football’s first reported losses in this war. May they both rest in peace.”

A statement released by Karpaty Lviv on Friday described Sapylo as a “hero” after he was killed on the battlefield.

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