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Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk will face English team Crystal Palace next week in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League semifinals<\/a> knowing that a win could provide a much-needed morale boost to millions of fans watching at home in war-torn Ukraine. The high stakes tie will take place at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Krak\u00f3w, Poland, as Shakhtar are unable to host European matches in Ukraine and have been exiled from the club\u2019s native Donetsk in the east of the country since the start of Russia\u2019s invasion in 2014.<\/p>\n At stake is a place in the Conference League Final, which will take place on May 27 in Leipzig, Germany. This would be enough to make the upcoming encounter with London side Crystal Palace a nerve-racking affair. Shakhtar Donetsk players and club officials will also be well aware that they are flying the flag for a nation that is fighting for survival and struggling to remain in the international spotlight amid a steady decline in media coverage of Russia\u2019s ongoing invasion as the war enters a fifth year. <\/p>\n \n\t\tStay updated\n\t<\/p>\n As the world watches the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfold, UkraineAlert delivers the best Atlantic Council expert insight and analysis on Ukraine twice a week directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n Reaching a European semifinal would be a significant achievement for any club hailing from one of the continent\u2019s less fashionable leagues. Shakhtar Donetsk\u2019s success is all the more remarkable as it comes against the backdrop of Europe\u2019s largest invasion since World War II. Like many organizations and businesses in eastern Ukraine\u2019s Donbas region, the club was forced to leave its home city in spring 2014 following the onset of Russia\u2019s invasion. Since then, Shakhtar has remained in exile<\/a>.<\/p>\n The club has had a number of temporary homes in Ukraine over the past twelve years, with Ukrainian Premier League home ties alternating between Lviv and Kyiv since the start of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion in 2022. Due to security restrictions imposed by European football\u2019s governing body, UEFA, in response to the current wartime conditions, Shakhtar has been obliged to stage all European ties outside Ukraine. The Donetsk side has used a number of stadiums in Germany and Poland, thereby losing the home advantage that is often seen as crucial in European competition.<\/p>\n This is not the first time Shakhtar Donetsk has advanced so far in Europe. The club famously won<\/a> the UEFA Cup in 2009, defeating Germany\u2019s Werder Bremen 2-1 in Istanbul to secure independent Ukraine\u2019s first European trophy. Since becoming a team in exile, Shakhtar has reached the semifinal stage of a major European competition in 2016 and 2020. However, this year\u2019s Conference League campaign stands out as arguably even more impressive due to the exceptionally challenging circumstances of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion.<\/p>\n \n\t\tEurasia Center events\n\t<\/p>\n Many Shakhtar Donetsk players, coaches, and officials have family and friends located close to the combat zone or living under Russian occupation in eastern Ukraine. Others have been unable to visit their homes since 2014. In common with most people in today\u2019s Ukraine, everyone associated with the club has had to come to terms with the uncertainty, anxiety, and trauma of Russia\u2019s invasion. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the Donetsk team\u2019s determination to not only survive but thrive among the elite of European football has attracted considerable international<\/a> media<\/a> attention<\/a> since 2022.<\/p>\n Despite being prevented from playing at the impressive Donbas Arena<\/a> stadium in Donetsk and losing multiple foreign players due to wartime disruption and security concerns, Shakhtar has continued to dominate domestically. The club has won a total of eight Ukrainian Premier League titles since 2014. This has been in large part due to continued support from the club\u2019s billionaire owner Rinat Akhmetov.<\/p>\n Not every Ukrainian team has been as fortunate. According to the Ukrainian Football Association, at least twenty Ukrainian football clubs have gone bankrupt<\/a> since the start of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The war has also brought financial hardships to the rest of the country\u2019s footballing fraternity, leading to less competition and a slump in status on the European stage. Shakhtar Donetsk\u2019s semifinal appearance is good news for all Ukrainian teams, as it will provide a much-needed boost to the country\u2019s standing in the UEFA rankings.<\/p>\n Millions of Ukrainians will now be hoping the team can go even further and make it through to this season\u2019s UEFA Conference League Final. Next week\u2019s semifinal first leg will likely be watched by a huge domestic audience, including soldiers defending the country. Shakhtar Donetsk has dedicated<\/a> previous victories to the those serving in the military. Shakhtar\u2019s success is also a source of pride and comfort for the millions of Ukrainians displaced by Russia\u2019s invasion, including many who were forced to flee from the club\u2019s native Donbas region. For them, Shakhtar Donetsk is not just a football team; it is a symbol of a peaceful past and a reminder of a hometown they dream of returning to.<\/p>\n Mark Temnycky is a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council\u2019s Eurasia Center and a freelance journalist covering Eurasian affairs.<\/p>\n Further reading<\/p>\n The views expressed in UkraineAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/optimized-Eurasia-Center-Unsplash-Polina-Rytova-1dGMs4hhcVA.jpg\"\/)
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