Vitalli Sapylo, Dmytro Martynenko Dead: Soccer Players Killed While Defending Ukraine

By Alexandria Reeves

Ukrainian Soccer Players Vitalli Sapylo, Dmytro Martynenko Dead — (Photo : Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Vitalli Sapylo and Dmytro Martynenko, two Ukrainian soccer players, died while defending their country against Russia.

The International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO) first confirmed the tragic news in a statement on Tuesday. It shared the news on Twitter, saying that it confirmed the tragic losses amid the senseless war.

"Our thoughts are with the families, friends, and teammates of young Ukrainian footballers Vitalii Sapylo (21) and Dmytro Martynenko (25), football's first reported losses in this war. May they both rest in peace," FIFPRO said.

FIFPRO general secretary Baer Hoffman has since broken his silence on the two professional soccer players' deaths before sharing the current conditions Ukraine is facing amid its conflict with Russia.

Hoffman told BBC 5 Live that sports fans are indeed expecting that more players are involved in the war, as well. Unfortunately, he could not give the specific number of their members who are currently defending the country amid the conflict and the degree of risk they are facing.

Live on @BBC5Live this morning, FIFPRO's General Secretary @BaerHoffmann reflected on the deaths of Vitalii Sapylo and Dmytro Martynenko, and the difficult conditions on the ground for our union based there. pic.twitter.com/5hcWSwfH5V
— FIFPRO (@FIFPRO) March 2, 2022

Yahoo! Sport reported that Sapylo was part of the Football Club Karpaty Lviv youth team, while Martynenko played for FC Gostomel. Due to the worsening situation in the war, Ukraine currently prohibits men ages 18-60 from leaving the country. The military mobilization order was approved in February to ensure that Ukraine would have combat readiness as Russian attacks continued.

Former Junior Biathlete Also Died

Aside from Sapylo and Martynenko, former junior biathlete Yevhen Malyshev also succumbed while serving the country.

The International Biathlon Union announced his death on Wednesday, saying that the 19-year-old died while helping the Ukrainian military.

"The IBU Executive Board has decided not to allow participation of any Russian or Belarussian athletes or officials at its international events until further notice. A potential suspension of both national federations will be discussed latest at the next EB meeting on 17 March," the IBU press release read.

IBU's executive board broke its silence again and condemned Russian attacks on Ukraine.

Before the athletes' deaths, FIFPRO already called for the suspension of the Russian Football Union amid the war.

Russian attacks have continued since they started on February 24. After over a week, Ukraine already reported hundreds of deaths and injuries. Thousands of Ukrainian have already left the country or attempted to escape due to the potential refugee crisis.