Sept. 17, 2025, 8:02 a.m.

Ex-goalkeeper of Odesa football club caught at the border

(Artur Rudko, football player. PHOTO: Instagram page)

The former goalkeeper of Odesa football club Chornomorets, Artur Rudko, was detained while trying to illegally leave Ukraine. The incident occurred while crossing the state border.

This was reported by the sports resource Tribuna.com.

According to media reports, 33-year-old Artur Rudko, who at various times played for Dynamo, Shakhtar and Chornomorets, tried to leave Ukraine. Currently, according to unofficial information, he is undergoing basic training at a training center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Rudko is a graduate of Dynamo Kyiv. In his career, he also defended the goal for Hoverla, Paphos, Metalist, Polish Lech and Shakhtar. His last club was Odesa-based Chornomorets, which he left at the end of last season.

This is not the only case of players fleeing abroad. Last year, Ihor Kasyanenko, the physical training coach of the Odesa football club Chornomorets, went with the team to a training camp in Turkey, but never returned to Ukraine.

He worked with the club throughout the preparation process, but did not show up at the Antalya airport when the team was flying to Chisinau. Although the ticket was issued in his name, the coach was not on the plane. The incident was reported to the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine. The club condemned the act of its employee and initiated the procedure for revoking his coaching license.

Since the beginning of 2025, more than 28,000 proceedings have been opened in Ukraine for violating the rules of military registration. In nine regions, the number of such cases has exceeded one thousand, with the highest number in Kyiv - 3,835. This is followed by Dnipro (2,984), Sumy (2,464), Odesa (2,438) and Kharkiv (2,151) regions. Overall, 82% of proceedings concern men aged 25 to 45.

Анна Бальчінос

You might also like:

Feb. 4, 2026

Salaries, charter and property distribution: what issues were considered by the executive committee of Odesa City Council

In Odesa, 20 houses were damaged and two citizens were wounded in an enemy attack

Feb. 3, 2026

In Berezivska Hromada, improvement has been preferred over maintenance for three years

Kuyalnytsia village council forced to cancel 10 million tender

Anka vessel arrested in Odesa region is put up for sale again

The crew of the icebreaker Noosphere raised the flag of the Marine Corps Brigade in the Antarctic

Two residents of Odesa region accused of unauthorized land seizure

Exhibition on the birthday of Odesa artist opened in the dark

Serviceman detained in Odesa region on suspicion of selling white flowers

Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office Selected Security Guards for its Buildings Without an Auction

Odesa schools return to online learning

Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine canonizes St. Basil's Martyrs

Russians resume air attacks in Odesa region

Feb. 2, 2026

The long-time editor-in-chief of the Reni Herald dies

19 million in unpaid taxes recovered from Odesa-based agricultural supplier