This Russian invasion of Ukraine Vasyl fucked Kravets (Lviv, 1997) inside rod. For anyone else, the situation would have left him out of the game. No to the then Sporting football player on loan from Leganés, he too assured ‘Radio Marca’, unaware of the months-long battles ahead: “If my country needs me, I will go.. I want to go to war and help my people. But I can’t help it because I don’t know how to shoot. If I could I would go to the front. That’s what I feel”.
His purpose was solid. Loan player from CD Leganés He was willing to leave a professional contract to return. Ukraine With his wife Yarynka and their daughter, who were born in Lugo (joined the team in that city in 2017) in May 2020, shortly after the world shut down due to the pandemic. However, neither separation nor entry into the country was easy. He continued to play for the Asturian squad, which as a precautionary measure blocked Kravets’ media coverage.
drones for the army
Sporting did the same for Bogdan Milovanov, another Ukrainian in its ranks, despite arriving at the age of five in Lugansk-born Spain, one of the cities most affected by the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. not a visit, has since returned because of the Donbass War. Kravets continued to play for Molinón in a professional exercise, but his head was completely in Ukraine. It was used in everything that was at hand at the distance..
He organized and participated in mobilizations in favor of his people in Gijón, donated their shirts to charity auctions in favor of the Ukrainian army, mediated to bring refugees to Asturias, and along with other players from his country. As Roman Zozulya, now in the ranks of Rayo Majadahonda Implemented the ‘Bayraktar’ project. It is the name given to the Turkish UAVs that Kravets and friends helped purchase and that play a key role in the defense of Ukraine.
After his loan with Sporting ended, he was forced to return to Leganés, which paid CD Lugo €2.5 million for him on the 2018/19 winter market, but was never able to adapt. Vasyl was clear that his place was not Madrid, but above all he knew: his place was in ukraine, more if possible after learning that the local championship is underway. In September 2022, the ‘cucumber’ team formalized his departure and Kravets became a player of Vorskla Poltava, a team that has played in the Conference League (third European competition) this season.
“At such a difficult time, I wanted to be closer to my family. I made this decision without a second thought.. “I came back as soon as I realized I could go home,” Kravets, who took advantage of the winter break in the Ukrainian Premier League, where his team finished ninth, told Spain’s El Periódico. Hutsul Land Ethnopark is in a natural park in the east of the country where some citizens continue to enjoy their free days.
19 to Spain
Of course, unaware of what’s going on, but standing up for another great battle, the struggle for normalcy. “I didn’t think Leganés would let me go.“But I explained the reasons for my decision,” says the 25-year-old football player, one of Karpaty Lviv’s great talents, who came to play in the Europa League but went bankrupt due to mismanagement. The situation was repeated with other Ukrainian clubs, regardless of the war.
This is common in his team’s subcategories. left-back with a perfect shot It caught the attention of scouts stationed in Eastern Europe. As a result of this network, he was offered CD Lugo from Part Two, which he came to in January 2017 when he was just 19 years old. He was a boy who went ashore with his current wife. Both are of equal age. It took half a season to adapt, which made it difficult for him to achieve the physical tone required by Spanish professional football.
His settlement in the Galician city, which he was extremely fond of, was faster. “As soon as we arrived in Lugo, we were greeted by a very kind and friendly president (Tino Saqués), whom I love and respect very much. It was the beginning of an adventure that I have the most vivid memory of. The birth of my daughter,” Kravets recalls. popular actor by fans of the Lugo club, whose anecdotes they still remember from their early days.
“not Russian”
When offered a Christmas basket, she initially turned it down: “Vasyl doesn’t need free food, folks!” He replied about a Christmas bonus he never got. One of his teammates at CD Lugo, Cameroonian Serge Leuko, joked by calling him a “crazy Russian”, which he repeatedly rejected. “Isn’t he crazy?” asked, Kravets replied vehemently: “not russian!“. In January 2020, he would return to ‘albivermello’ on loan from Leganés, where he made his First Division debut together but did not settle down. He paid just over two million for it and signed it until 2023.
In September 2020, Polish Lech, who seemed to be getting closer with Ukraine, repeated a temporary transfer when he went to Poznan. However, he came back and lived his last credit again, this time to Sporting, where he played in the 2021/22 season. “It’s been a great year. I remember when I came to play with CD Lugo in Molinón. I was really impressed with the stadium and its ‘crazy’ fans, so playing for Sporting was a real pride.‘, says Vasyl, who has felt sheltered in Asturias since the beginning of the occupation.
“When the war started in Gijón, everyone helped me. It allowed me to play no matter the circumstances. I will never forget that they applauded and shouted my name as I left the stadium parking lot. It was very touching. It’s amazing how many good times I had with me from Spain!He says that although he has a lifetime ahead of him as a football player to follow a linear path, for now, traveling to Ukraine is the only way for him.
anti-aircraft wings
Now Kravets lives in a reality diametrically opposed to Molinón’s. He went from playing in front of 30,000 people to playing in empty stadiums. “The matches are played without spectators in Ukraine. It is difficult for us. I miss the excitement of the full field, but people’s safety is the most important thing“, he argues.
The actor has already experienced firsthand the painful experience of taking refuge in a shelter during one match: “We had to stop due to anti-aircraft alarms that forced us to go to bunkers immediately.” In this context, he admits that without the support of the military, the league could never continue.
“We wouldn’t be able to play football without the heroes protecting our country. That’s why soldiers need humanitarian or military assistance. Any support is important,” Kravets says, without any filter or influence. Those who listen to him, respond with discipline, sterilize the questions of a conversation that ends like this.
How do you think the invasion of Ukraine will end?
I believe in victory, our people will not be intimidated.
how do you see tomorrow
It’s hard for me to talk about the future. Now we just live daily.