As soon as the air raid sirens went off, Shakhtar Donetsk players rushed to the pitch for the final training session before Ukraine began another stunning season of their national football championship.
As Ukrainian soldiers battle Russian forces east and south, Shakhtar will face Metalist 1925 from the eastern city of Kharkiv in the opening of the Ukrainian Premier League on Tuesday.
The match in Kiev begins one day before Ukraine turns six months since Russia invaded its smaller neighbor in a war that has killed thousands, displaced millions, destroyed entire cities and is still ongoing.
“It will be a unique competition: it will happen during a war, during a military aggression, during bombing,” said Andriy Pavelko, president of the Ukrainian Football Association.
The matches will be played without fans in the stands due to the risk of bombs and missiles.
Two top clubs – Desna Chernihiv and FC Mariupol – are replaced in the 16-team league after their stadiums were destroyed during the fighting.
FC Mariupol’s future has been questioned after Russia took over the club’s hometown in a brutal three-month siege which, according to Ukraine, killed more than 20,000 residents.
Pavelko said much of the impetus to restart the football season in difficult circumstances came from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian military, who hope the league will help boost national morale.
“Many people on the front line have asked us to start thinking about relaunching football in our country,” said Pavelko.
He toured Ukraine in March and April to convince club presidents not to let their teams wither and prepare them for a new season, he said.
Shakhtar, one of this year’s title favorites who will also play in the European Champions League, are no stranger to war: they had to move from their hometown of Donetsk in 2014 when the city was taken over by Russian-backed separatists.
The forced transfer did not prevent Shakhtar’s success on the pitch – they have since won five titles in eight seasons.
They reached the top of the rankings on February 24, when the season ended abruptly due to the invasion of Russia and the rain of missiles.
For years, Shakhtar, owned by Ukraine’s richest man, Rinat Akhmetov, has relied on Brazilian superstars, where the club has built a vast network of scouts to form the team’s core.
After a war-induced exodus of foreign players, Croatian manager Igor Jovicevic, appointed in June, is now looking to replenish the squad with young local players.
“For a long time there was a Brazilian Shakhtar, a prominent team,” said Jovicevic on the sidelines of Shakhtar’s training session on Monday.
“But now we have to forget that and prepare the new (team) as soon as possible,” he said.
The new season presents a number of logistical challenges, including the risk of missile attacks.
All stadiums must have air-raid shelters. For starters, matches will only be played in Kiev, the surrounding region and two western provinces near the border, though that could change later, Pavelko said.
Whenever an air raid siren sounds, a daily occurrence in most regions, the game will be stopped to allow players and match officials to take refuge in basements until the all clear, Pavelko said.
It has left some players like Shakhtar’s faithful midfielder Taras Stepanenko worrying about how they will keep their muscles warm in matches interrupted by long breaks.
“It will be difficult if it lasts more than an hour. Maybe they should install (training) bikes for us, “Stepanenko said.
Military officials will be present at every game, and if an air raid siren lasts more than an hour, they will consult with the referee to decide whether to wait or postpone the game altogether, Pavelko said.
Pavelko said the war not only destroyed the facilities but also ruined the futures of thousands of talented young footballers.
“It’s not just about losing stadiums. It is an entire generation of players who will not be able to develop. “