Ex-goalkeeper of Odesa football club caught at the border

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