Ukraine Premier League Restarts Amidst Crisis And War With Russia

Amidst the ongoing war and crisis between Ukraine and Russia, football made a comeback in Ukraine as the top division football league's new season commenced on August 23.

The first match of the Premier League was between Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in the capital Kyiv.

The league was resumed with the aim of restoring some sense of normal life. But the match was played in an empty stadium as the country remains under martial law.

Players from the two teams draped the blue and yellow national flags over their shoulders, followed by a minute of silence. The large screen displayed names of Ukrainian cities where people died during the war.

With fears of further Russian bombardment in and around the country, players and match officials were told to take shelter and go underground if air-raid sirens were rung.

The Ukraine Premier League 2022-23 season starts around a time when the country marks the six-month anniversary of Russia's invasion and Ukraine's independence day on August 24.