Shaktar Donetsk stadium damaged by shelling

Semiu Salami
Semiu Salami

Shakhtar Donetsk’s Donbass Arena has suffered serious damage from shelling in the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
A blast wave from an explosion damaged the stadium’s east and west sides, shattering parts of the glass-covered facade according to staff.

“We are warning residents not to approach the stadium as it might be unsafe,” the Arena’s interim executive manager Vadyn Gunko explained.

Shakhtar moved home games 600 miles west to Lviv in July.

With Donetsk currently held by pro-Russian separatists, the club’s administrative headquarters has also been shifted to Kiev, as have player training sessions.

The 52,000-seat stadium, which hosted England’s group games against France and Ukraine at Euro 2012, was previously damaged by fighting between national forces and separatists in August.

A truce between the two sides was signed on 5 September.

The explosion reportedly happened near a munitions factory on the outskirts of the city with separatists alleging it was caused by a “Tochka-U” missile.

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