Defender of Odessa "Chernomorets" Bogdan Butko recalled the first days after the invasion of russia on Ukraine in an interview with the Polish publication "TVP SPORT", talked about life in Odessa during those days, assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as settling scores with his past in the Russian league.
— We are talking about the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion of russia into Ukraine. What do you remember about February 24, 2022?
— It was a very hard day. It was difficult to understand what was happening around. My family and I tried not to panic and act together and reasonably. At that time I was in Kharkiv and I had to urgently move to Kyiv, where my family was. People on the streets were panicking because they did not know what to do. Now three years of war are behind us. You know, you get used to difficulties, but it is still war.
— Now you are a football player of "Chernomorets". What is life in Odessa like now? Can you describe it somehow?
— We are going through difficult times. There are shellings every day, Russia attacks the region with drones every day, alarm signals sound. Sleepless nights are commonplace. And in the morning you have to get up because I have training, and the children go to school. You keep all this in your head and just follow the groups on social networks, where people inform each other about what and where is happening.
However, you can get used to this. Sometimes you manage to sleep through the night, sometimes not. If not, you can nap for an hour or two the next day. But what exhausts even more is the fear for loved ones. I fear for them. A sleepless night is nothing compared to this. This is the reality.
— Have you ever thought about sending your family abroad?
— I do not want to be apart. Moreover, I am 34 years old, and at my age it is difficult to get offers from abroad. I chose Ukraine. I received an offer from Odessa, and I accepted it.
— With the beginning of the full-scale war, were there moments when you felt that you were in immediate danger?
— At the very beginning. I spent nine days in the village of Moschun. It is not far from Kyiv. Russian soldiers entered there during the siege of Kyiv. After that experience, nothing scares me anymore. Now I am living more or less comfortably in Odessa, as much as it can be during a war.
— I remember when the Russians were successfully repelled from Kyiv, there was a discussion about how to resume competitions. There were concerns that if the Ukrainian championship began to be held in wartime, there would not be a single legionnaire in it. And now there are many of them in the UPL, including nine in "Chernomorets". How do they cope with life in Odessa?
— They are nervous. It depends on what the situation is at the moment. There may be a month of relative calm. Or it may happen that there are continuous alerts for 2-3 days, and that is hard. Some can cope with this psychologically, while others cannot. There have been cases when a foreigner arrives but immediately leaves. We explain those who stay that attacks occur at specific targets, often on military facilities. (The conversation took place before the Russians attacked the base of "Chernomorets" in Sovinyon, — ed.) It is not like a bomb falling from the sky and nothing remaining of the city. When an alarm signal sounds, you need to go down to some basement, to a shelter. Then you go out and continue to live on.
— What do conversations about threats within the team look like? What do foreign players ask about?
— They do not ask anything. They have their own agents, their own families, and they talk to them about such things. Well, maybe with the exception of logistics questions — where is safe, and where is dangerous. The club also helps with this.
— Can foreigners just take and leave Ukraine despite the contract with the club?
— Yes, after the start of the full-scale war, all foreigners fled, and their contracts were suspended by FIFA. Clubs "Shakhtar" and "Dynamo" were especially affected. But now everything is different: current contracts signed with legionnaires are structured in such a way that they cannot simply be terminated. If a player insists, he will just leave, but the contract will remain in force.
— Tell us about assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine?
— The assistance is comprehensive — both among players and among fans. We have a "Tribune of Heroes" at "Chernomorets". This is a group of soldiers, fans of our club, who died in the war. We organize fundraising to help the families of these heroes. Everyone makes a financial contribution.
We also individually raise funds for drones, cars, and everything else that is needed on the front line. Everyone also participates in helping their hometown. This assistance will continue as long as it is needed. I am originally from Kostiantynivka. This city is near Chasiv Yar and Bakhmut, where fierce fighting is taking place. The Russian army is 3-4 kilometers away, and at any moment this city could disappear from the map. And my grandfather is left there and does not want to leave.
— It cannot be denied that everything that is happening is exhausting psychologically. I wake up in the morning, and sometimes the first thing I see on social networks are photos of corpses on the street. How do you, as a person, psychologically cope with all this, being in Ukraine these days?
— During the war, you have to find other, more positive emotions. It is very hard to think about war 24 hours a day. I am not a soldier, I do not fight on the front, so I have to adapt to reality and lead a normal life. We must provide children with everything they need to be able to study. Besides, I have certain ambitions. Now I am a professional footballer, but soon I will finish my career. I will need to do something after that, to develop in some area.
— The Ukrainian league resumed in August 2022. I saw comments at that time expressing outrage that there is a war going on, and they are just playing ball. What would you say to that?
— I don’t know what to say. I understand it as follows. There is war, and alongside it — sport. Oleksandr Usyk became the world boxing champion and the ambassador of Ukraine in hellishly difficult times. Likewise, Donetsk "Shakhtar" travels to Champions League matches and serves as a showcase for Ukraine. They show that we are alive. It is no longer the life we had, but life goes on.
Athletes send a signal to the world that Russia attacked us. They are the aggressors, and we are the victims. Through sport, we express our struggle.
— How do you assess the current level of the UPL?
— There are many questions on this topic. I believe that the level of the Ukrainian league has indeed fallen. First of all, due to the lack of quality legionnaires, who matter. Earlier, foreigners of a much higher level used to come to Ukraine. Now there are many legionnaires too, but they come for a pittance compared to Europe. It is also difficult to convince a foreign footballer to play in Ukraine.
For me, a good league is made up of good legionnaires. So it is in every country. Our own trainees are very good, and it is great that they have the opportunity to show themselves, but with good players from other countries, everything is a bit different.
— How stable are UPL clubs in the current conditions?
— Many Ukrainian clubs do not have stability today. In some cases, delays in salary payments can be up to a month, in others — up to two months. We, footballers, understand this. We do our job, we have a contract. The current situation is not easy for clubs either. Everyone needs money, and financial assistance in defending the country is a priority and is very costly.
— And how are things with this in "Chernomorets"?
— The club is trying to make payments. Delays sometimes amount to two to three months. The same was true in Luhansk "Zarya", where I played before.
— What can you say about the performance of Ukrainian teams in European cups?
— There were no good results, but "Shakhtar" played well in the Champions League. "Dynamo" did not realize its potential in European cups. The problem is that everyone has this war in their head. This is related to psychological tension. Every year it gets harder. Football in Ukraine has stopped because the country is at war. I am sure that when the war is over, Ukraine will thrive again. It is good that we are even playing in European cups, although this summer all Ukrainian clubs will have to start in qualifying rounds. Club presidents, the entire community must unite, and then everything will be fine.
— How do you assess the level of organization of the Ukrainian league under wartime conditions? There are places like Kryvyi Rih, where a rocket hit the hotel where Donetsk "Shakhtar" was supposed to stay for the night just a few days before their arrival.
— Let's say, two days before the match in Kryvyi Rih, the thought came: what if there’s a shelling? But all of Ukraine is in a state of war. Shelling can happen anywhere — in Odessa, in Dnipro, in Kyiv, in Lviv. A rocket could land right now while we are talking. Or it might not land. There is work that needs to be done, and I do it. That is my approach, because it is my job. "Chernomorets" has security measures in place. For example, regarding the route we take by bus to the match.
— You once played in the Russian league. In February 2015, you were loaned to Perm's "Amkar" and played there until the end of the 2015/16 season. How do you approach this topic in your career today?
— That was a long time ago. I thought about that period. In sports terms, it was good for me. After "Amkar" I returned to Donetsk "Shakhtar" and started playing in the main squad. After 2022, I put a cross on the Russians and today I no longer communicate with anyone from there. I forgot about performances in Russia, like a terrible nightmare.
— Playing in Russia was already a controversial issue back then. Players of Russian clubs stopped being called up to the national team of Ukraine.
— That's true. I wasn't called then, and it was a psychological discomfort for me. I tried to find a way out of that situation because it was difficult for me, and I didn’t want to stay in Russia for long. In 2014, when the war started, I was playing in "Mariupol". Then I was looking for a loan option, and I received an offer from "Amkar". I signed the contract, but today that story is no longer mentioned. When I left, I perceived everything a little differently. Later, when I analyzed everything, I realized that I was wrong.
— And when you look today at a figure like "Anatoliy Tymoshchuk", what do you think?
— This is his life, the life of his loved ones, but this should not be done. If your parents, your grandmothers and grandfathers live in Ukraine, if your compatriots are dying for your country, and you are on the other side, then this is very bad.
Translation and stylistic adaptation — Dynamo.kiev.ua, using the material is mandatory!