Vitalii Sapylo and Dmytro Martynenko, Ukrainian football players, lost their lives in the conflict between that country and Russia.
This news has been officially confirmed by FIFPro, ie the world union of professional football players.
Sapylo, 21, is said to have died defending Kyiv on Friday, while Martynenko, 25, lost his life during the bombing.
“Our thoughts are with the families, friends and teammates of young Ukrainian football players, the first football victims of the war against Russia. “Let them rest in peace,” reads the statement of the Association of Professional Footballers.
Also, young biathlete Yevhen Malyshev, born in 2002, also lost his life during the fighting in Ukraine.
Vitalii played for Karpat from Lviv while Dmytro Martynenko was a member of Chernomorets from Odessa.
