A sports journalist became a marine, his father worked for many years as the vice president of Dynamo

Currently, a significant number of sports journalists, commentators, and representatives from football club press services are defending our independence as part of the Ukrainian army, including Mykhailo Shapovalov, Oleg Yashchuk, Maksym Haptar, Oleg Shumeiko, Dmytro Lazutkin, Roman Shakhrai, Roberto Morales, Anatoliy Yavorskyi, Dmytro Shapoval, Valeriy Shershen…

Photo from the family archive of Oleksiy Semenenko

Recently demobilized were 67-year-old Viktor Ozhogin and Max Serhiyiev. A few days ago, 41-year-old Oleksandr Semenenko joined the coastal defense brigade of the marine corps, who at one time was actively publishing in the newspaper Komanda and the weekly Futbol. Oleksandr is the only son of Oleksiy Semenenko, who worked for many years as the vice president of Kyiv Dynamo and is now an advisor to the club’s president, Ihor Surkis.

“Did I ever think about having my son reserved, as many prominent parents have done? — asks Oleksiy Semenenko. — I could have reserved him, but I had no such thoughts. Because that would no longer be my family and not my son. And Sashko did not come to me with such a request. He said at the beginning of the war that if the call came, he wouldn’t hide.

My son was offered two options — as a paratrooper in an assault brigade or as a marine in the coastal defense brigade. He chose the second option. I am proud of my son!”.

On the night of May 24 to 25, during a missile attack, the house of Oleksiy Semenenko, which is located in Markhalivka in Fastiv raion, was seriously damaged. We ask Oleksiy Mykhailovych at what stage the repair work is now.

“There is a certain problem with this, — admits Semenenko. – Many people are saving money for a rainy day. The rainy days for our country began on February 24, 2022. When my godfather and friend Viktor Ozhogin went to defend the homeland, I felt uneasy. After all, Vitya is my age mate, but he went to fight, and I did not. The reality is that when you are nearing seventy, physical form can hinder your desires.

I decided to support Ozhogin’s military unit and several other friends financially. I had to dip into the family savings. I purchased the first car with my own money, and then with friends, we pooled resources to buy the second and third cars. I spent 460,000 hryvnias of my own funds. So now I cannot afford to completely repair the house. What will happen next — we will see.”

Maxim ROZENKO