Stadiums under occupation: how sports facilities in Donbas are operating and what they look like today – photos, video

The Russo-Ukrainian war began on 20 February 2014 after the Euromaidan protests in Kyiv resulted in the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych and his flight from Ukraine to Russia.  It was then that Russian special forces seized the Crimean parliament building, and on 12 April, militants under the command of Igor Strelkov (real surname Girkin), a former FSB officer and leader of the paramilitary forces of the DPR (the Donetsk People's Republic, a self-proclaimed and non-recognised state formation in Donetsk Oblast), occupied the city of Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast. The fighting began to spread across the Donbas region, and sports began to take a back seat. The Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to liberate some towns and villages, and Russian fighters, with the support of the official Russian army, regained control of some settlements.

In Luhansk, Donetsk and other Ukrainian cities of Donbas, the Ukrainian anthem has not been played for more than 10 years; football stands are silent and major sporting events have not taken place. What follows is a dive into the realities of the temporarily occupied territories to survey the fate of sports arenas across Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, which have been living with the hope that civilisation and prosperity will return to them, along with great sport.

Avanhard Stadium (Luhansk)

This sports complex was built in 1951 and since then the stadium has undergone two reconstructions, the last of which took place in 2011. At that time, the Football Federation of Ukraine decided to ban matches at the stadium after the Zoria vs Volyn match, when the pitch looked more like a swamp.

In 2012, Avanhard hosted the Ukrainian Super Cup match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalurh, in which Shakhtar won 2-0. Zoria played their last match at home on 27 April 2014, after which they were forced to leave Luhansk.

In the same year, the stadium was damaged by attacks during a Russian breakthrough on the outskirts of the city. For a long time, no one repaired the pitch and stands, but shouldn't we eventually create a picture of "universal happiness"?

Yes, we should, so the curators from Russia repaired the damaged stands, replaced a Ukrainian letter in the word "Zoria" with a Russian one, and started to hold the "LPR (Luhansk People's Republic) Championship" at Avanhard stadium.

In 2022, local authorities announced plans to demolish the stadium and build a new arena in its place.

"Now the city of Moscow has begun to restore the Avanhard stadium in the centre of Luhansk, on Oboronna Street. A project is being prepared, and its restoration will begin in the near future, most likely after the New Year. Most likely, it will not be a renovation, but a new building will be completely erected.

The entire Avanhard will be demolished: both the stands and the building will be completely built for the new stadium," Ukraine's First Deputy Speaker Oleksandr Kornienko said at the time.

However, talking is easier than doing. Before the war, the stadium was home to children's football, boxing, karate, athletics and other sports clubs. Now almost all of them are closed, and the stadium is slowly but surely turning into an abandoned building.

The Olimpiiskyi multi-purpose stadium (Donetsk)

The former home stadium of Shakhtar FC was built in 1958 by architects Revin and Golubkov, with a capacity of 25,000 spectators.

In addition to European Cup matches between Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalurh Donetsk, the arena hosted the UEFA U19 Euros in 2009, where the Ukrainian national team triumphed 2-0 over England in the final. The German band Scorpions performed at the stadium in 2011, while in the summer of 2013, the Olimpiiskyi stadium hosted the World Youth Athletics Championships.

Where Russia is in control, there is no place for major sporting events or concerts by world-famous rock artists. Instead, the stadium is used for round-the-clock Russian training sessions.

However, it remains well maintained, unlike Shakhtar, which has turned into a wasteland.

Donbas Arena (Donetsk)

This incredibly beautiful stadium was built in 2009 for a whopping US£400 million against the backdrop of Ukraine winning the right to host Euro 2012 football matches jointly with Poland.

Beyond the European Championship, the stadium has hosted performances by Gaitana and Rihanna. Milla Jovovich personally congratulated Shakhtar on its birthday. In the summer of 2014, the arena became a hub for Ukrainian oligarch Rynat Akhmetov's humanitarian aid, but its facade was regularly damaged by bombardment.

However, in 2017, militants from the Russian-backed "Donetsk People's Republic" terror organisation decided to seize the arena for their "young republic".

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