Chelsea deal for Mudryk helps donate $25 million to Ukraine

Chelsea acquired Ukraine international Mykhailo Mudryk on Saturday in an expensive transfer topping out over $100 million. Chelsea swooped in the the Shakhtar Donetsk star while it appeared Arsenal were on the verge of acquiring the talent.

While the official fee for Mudryk’s transfer to Chelsea is high, a $100 million package in total, not all of that goes into Shakhtar’s funding.

Instead, Shakhtar Donetsk president Rinat Ahkmetov is allocating a quarter of the Mudryk fee from Chelsea, roughly $25 million, to go to those suffering from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I am allocating $25 million (UAH 1 billion) today to help our soldiers, defenders, and their families,” Ahkmetov wrote in a statement. “The money will be used to cover different needs — from providing medical and prosthetic treatment and psychological support to meeting specific requests.”

The Russian invasion displaced millions of Ukrainians from their homes. One estimate puts the number at almost 8 million refugees scattered around Europe. That is almost a fifth of the country uprooted.

Ahkmetov’s announcement aids those fighting in the war back in Ukraine.

Shakhtar sending chunk of Chelsea Mudryk fee back into Ukraine

Shakhtar itself also felt the ramification of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The club relocated to Kyiv, as Donetsk is fairly close to the border with Russia. Its Champions League games, including contests with Real Madrid and RB Leipzig, shifted to Warsaw. These neutral site games replaced home games.

Now, Shakhtar gives back to those going through the hardest part of the war in Ukraine.

Mudryk represented Ukraine a number of times in his young and promising career. That includes six appearances in the UEFA Nations League, then narrowly missing out on the World Cup with a pair of appearances in the knockout phase, both as a substitute. He proudly donned the Ukrainian flag during his introduction at Stamford Bridge in front of the Chelsea faithful.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Sebastian Frej