Former referee Oleksandr Shamych, who has been heading the committee of referees of the Kyiv Football Association for more than 15 years, spoke about referee Dmytro Kubryak, who was released from racist captivity.
— Oleksandr Mykolayovych, we saw your post on Facebook, where you wrote that you contacted Dmytro Kubryak after his release. What was they talking about?
— Of course, I congratulated him on the fact that he is already in Ukraine. He said that it was very difficult for him for five months in captivity. Dmytro knew that they were worried about him in Ukraine and worried about him. Rumors reached him there.
That's it. We didn't talk for a long time. First, it's the phone, and secondly, it's quiet now and there's less need to do interviews. Therefore, I did not ask him for any details. We agreed that all the details at the meeting!
His wife called me today and thanked me for the support. They have also talked. She is well done, she believed and prayed to God.
— Tell us how you met Dmytro.
— He himself is from the Football Association of Odesa Region. About seven years ago, Dmytro moved to Kyiv, he was writing a scientific paper at the Institute of Neurosurgery. He was also a practicing physician and arbitrator.
He turned to us, the Kyiv Football Association, to continue judging. He was entrusted with matches of the Kyiv championship among adults and youth, cups. In addition, he participated in the matches of the youth national teams of Ukraine, which were held in Shchaslyvo and Koncha-Zaspa. I should note that Dmytro was an active referee of the First League of the Championship of Ukraine.
- How did he end up at the front?
— He moved from Kyiv two years ago. He was sent to the Dnipro military hospital. I know that when the war started, he was given a new assignment and went to Mariupol as a military doctor. And he was captured already there.
- How did you find out that he was captured?
— His wife first wrote about it on social networks. We immediately contacted her and from that moment began to track where he was and what happened to him. It was not easy, but we found ways to find out where Dmytro is.
When the Russians committed a terrorist attack in Olenivka, we found people who were asked about Dmytro. We were told that he is alive, everything is fine with him, the issue is being resolved.
— Was he able to call his wife from captivity?
— No, he didn't call anyone. They were forbidden to communicate even with relatives.
— How did Dmytro manage to combine refereeing with the work of a neurosurgeon?
— There is nothing unusual here. We have a lot of doctors who combine the work of a doctor with arbitration. I can cite the example of Ihor Yarmenchuk, who worked as the chief physician of the Hospital of Scientists and was a FIFA referee.
Today Oleksandra Danylenko and Oleksiy Girs from Odessa are both doctors and referees. Kyiv referee Oleksiy Harkusha, when there were hostilities near Kyiv, worked for an ambulance around the clock and today performs his duties with full dedication.
— Do you think Kubriak will return to arbitration after a difficult period in his life?
— I can't say about his professional plans because it's only his choice. I think that he will definitely return to his work as a neurosurgeon. But as for judging, I will say this. I really want him to return to football refereeing, I will talk to him about it, but it all depends on him.
Dmytro is a cool referee with a good reputation, so why not try himself in the Premier League. But it will depend not only on him, but also on the referee committee of the UAF - after all, he must meet certain criteria. I think he has every chance to rise higher in football refereeing.
— Tell me, what kind of person is Dmytro?
- He is very calm and balanced, like all doctors by nature. They see death, disease and suffering, so these people rarely share their emotions in public. Also, Dmytro has a strong character, which helped him pass difficult tests in life.
Andriy Piskun