When Shakhtar Donetsk’s Donbas Arena was opened in 2009 nobody could have foreseen its unfortunate future and the upcoming political turbulence in Ukraine. 

The 53,000-seater was opened the same year that Shakhtar won their first and only European cup, the UEFA Cup, and its inception alongside the Kirsha training base was meant to symbolise the start of a new era. 

The stadium played host to five games in Euro 2012 and was home to the 16-time Ukrainian champions until 2014, when fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in cities such as Donetsk. 

The stadium suffered major shelling deeming it unplayable and has since been left abandoned. 

Since then, the club has called five cities in Europe home, including Gelshenkirchen, Hamburg, Krakow, Ljubljana and Warsaw and now they are adding London to the list. 

The Ukrainian team are playing their home Champions League matches at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, 700 miles from where they play domestic home games in the Lviv Arena in Lviv.  

They kicked off their campaign with a 3-1 win against Greek side AEK Athens on October 14 in front of 29,144 fans, thought to be a mix of Ukrainians, English and Greeks supporting AEK. 

Dima Prasolov, owner of Shakhtar fan page Miners Weekly, said: “Shakhtar have had a good relationship with Chelsea since the transfer of Mykhailo Mudryk.”

Mydryk joined Chelsea from Shakhtar in January 2023 for £88.5m.

Prasolov added: “Chelsea have been very supportive of Ukraine and there are reports that suggest Shakhtar got an incredibly good offer for renting the stadium.”

Since the war began, an estimated 45,000 Ukrainians have arrived into the UK with a high proportion thought to be residing in West London where Stamford Bridge is located. 

When the move to Stamford Bridge was announced, a Shakhtar statement said: “Playing our Champions League home matches at Stamford Bridge is a special opportunity for Shakhtar.

“We are grateful to Chelsea Football Club for the opportunity to host our games at this special venue.   

“Stamford Bridge is one of the most famous stadiums in world football, with an incredible history and atmosphere.

“We are convinced that Shakhtar’s matches in London will provide unforgettable emotions for Ukrainian and English fans.”

The Ukrainian team also had a fantastic run to the UEFA Conference League semi-finals last season before being beaten by eventual winners Crystal Palace. 

Miners Weekly said: “The Conference League run was very exciting as it was the first time the club had reached a European semi-final in a decade.

“By February, Shakhtar remained as the only club representing Ukraine in UEFA competitions and the whole country got behind them.” 

The Ukrainian outfit are expecting an even busier Stamford Bridge when they take on 15-time winners Real Madrid in the final Champions League league phase game on January 29. 

Dima Prasolov said: “I expect a sell out for the Real Madrid match, having almost 29k at AEK was very impressive, on paper they did not appear that glamorous or exciting opponents yet many people turned up for the game. 

“When we played a home game against then Europa League title holders Atalanta in Gelsenkirchen, only around 20k fans turned up.”

Despite all the on-pitch success Shakhtar have recently said it is integral not to forget about the war still ongoing. The Miners have been greatly affected likewise for any Ukrainian sports team and their supporters. 

Dima Prasolov said: “The war has affected Shakhtar a lot more than the other Ukrainian clubs. 

“Shakhtar suffered from the clause that allowed foreign players to leave on free transfers and the club could not sell their players but were still expected to complete outstanding payments.”

This was the case for many Ukrainian teams and many have since gone out of business or into severe financial ruin.

However, this also adds weight to the achievements of Shakhtar still competing in the Champions League. 

Shakhtar’s next European fixture at Stamford Bridge is on November 3 at 5:45pm against 21-time Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon.

Tickets are on sale and you can find more information on the Chelsea website.