Ukrainian football team Shakhtar Donetsk has pledged millions of pounds to its country’s war effort, after Chelsea FC signed one of its star players.

Mykhaylo Mudryk, 22, has joined the west London club for a fee of £88.5m, after seven years at the Ukrainian top flight team.

Shakhtar, though named after the Donetsk region, currently plays in Kyiv, due to the Russian occupation in the club’s namesake region.

Follow the Ukraine war live, as the death toll following a strike on Dnipro climbs

Mudryk’s transfer means the club’s chief, Rinat Akhmetov, has launched a scheme to assist in the Ukrainian war effort, pledging $25m (£20.5m) to help soldiers and their families.

Mr Akhmetov said: “I have made a decision to launch the Heart of Azovstal, a project designed to help Mariupol defenders and the families of fallen soldiers.

“Their acts of bravery are unparalleled in the modern history. It is them, their sacrifice and courage that helped contain the enemy in the first months of the war and let all of us feel the inevitability of the victory of Ukraine now.

Ukraine war: Hopes fade for survivors of Dnipro strike as number of dead reaches 40

What next for strikes? | Mark Harper, Peter Kyle and Professor Philip Banfield

Ukraine war: At least 30 dead as Dnipro apartment block struck in brutal wave of Russian strikes

“I am allocating $25m (UAH 1 billion) 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.”

Mr Akhmetov said it was his dream for the club to win European trophies, but understands that it is not possible during the conflict in Ukraine, which he describes as “the horrendous and unjust war waged against us by the Russian Federation”.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Read more:
Hopes fade for survivors of Dnipro strike as number of dead reaches 40
UK reveals number of tanks to be sent to Kyiv for first time
Soledar may have fallen – but Ukrainians say Russia has lost large number of troops for not much gain

Mr Akhmetov added that he is proud of Mudryk, and that “this guy is leading by example, showing that talent and hard work can make the impossible possible”.

“I am absolutely confident that the entire Europe will acclaim Mykhaylo’s brilliant and fine play,” he added.

The Donetsk president also mooted the idea of a game between Chelsea and his team at the Donbas Arena in the future.

Talking about his move to Stamford Bridge, a club previously owned by the now-sanctioned Roman Abramovich, Murdyk said: “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. I’m excited to meet my new team-mates, and I’m looking forward to working and learning under Graham Potter and his staff.”

The blues also thanked his former club for making the move possible.

Related posts:

‘Talking could help save a life’: Football managers back campaign to tackle suicide Taskforce to help stop child sexual abuse images being shared online UK has hit ‘dangerous moment’ in pandemic and ‘vaccine-beating variants’ will emerge, expert warns CPS seeks retrial of police officer accused of assaulting Dalian Atkinson after jury discharged Aspirin could cut risk of death in cancer patients by 20%, study suggests Watchdog ‘concerned about public safety’ in Manchester after police fail to improve ‘Everyone started screaming’: Terrified train crash passengers ‘thrown around’ and ‘thought they were going to die’ UK excess deaths spike as temperature rises – here’s how it compares to other countries Footballer whose goal produced one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup history is dead at 79 Sightings of jellyfish-like creature that can inflict painful wounds increase on the British coastline Flooding causes road and rail disruption as Storm Claudio continues to batter UK ‘Cost of living’ Christmas crowdfunding grows as communities rally round