Euro 2024: Ukraine's talented young team determined to thrive in troubled times

When Ukraine announced their squad for the upcoming European Championship in Germany, they did so with the help of some of the nation’s soldiers.

A video on social media depicted national team fans, several of whom were serving military personnel, announcing the players who had made the cut. It was a reminder that everything in Ukraine must be viewed through the prism of the war with Russia – including their participation in this summer’s tournament.

Manager Sergei Rebrov – a title winner in the UAE with Al Ain – summed it up when asked about the mood of his players upon sealing qualification through the play-offs. “There were pleasant emotions in the dressing room,” he said. “But overall, it was impossible to fully concentrate on the celebration. There is a war in our country and people die every day.”

A report from Business Insider inFebruary 2024 suggested more than 400 athletes are among those to have lost their lives in the conflict so far – including many footballers, such as Sergey Balanchuk, a former Dynamo Kiev defender and teammate of Rebrov who was killed by artillery fire near Bakhmutin July 2022.

The Ukrainian website Sport Angels documents many of their stories and a scroll through its pages reveals the scale of the talent lost to the Russian invasion – from chess champions to athletes who had genuine aspirations of competing at the Paris Olympics this summer.

Such stories have clearly had a big impact on Ukraine’s footballers. "It is quite hard for them, they're always watching their phones, they're watching the news, same as me," said Rebrov. "In this atmosphere, it is not easy to work."

Many have thrown themselves into raising both funds and awareness. The Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko received