UEFA has not responded to Ukraine's appeal regarding Russian clubs
The Ukrainian side has stated that UEFA has not responded to the issue of the use of Ukrainian club names. This concerns Russian teams which, according to Ukraine, are illegally using the names of clubs from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea.
This was reported by theguardian.com.
According to the source, the UAF officially appealed to UEFA back in October of last year, demanding an investigation into the activities of the so-called “clones” and a legal assessment of the situation.
The letter emphasized that the participation of these teams in Russian competitions without Ukraine’s permission constitutes a violation of territorial jurisdiction and an attempt to legitimize the occupation. Despite this, for over six months, UEFA has not made any decisions or provided an official response.
As a reminder, in February 2026, the so-called “Zorya” (Luhansk) and “Shakhtar” (Donetsk), created by Russians in the occupied territories, received certification to participate in the Second League and are already competing in the tournament. Rubin Yalta and Sevastopol from occupied Crimea also play at this level.
All national teams and clubs from Russia were suspended from tournaments under the auspices of FIFA and UEFA in the spring of 2022. This occurred against the backdrop of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Teams from Russia are missing out on the World Cup and European Championships, as well as the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, and other tournaments.
As a reminder, Kyiv Dynamo forward Matviy Ponomarenko became the top scorer of the Ukrainian Premier League for the 2025/26 season.
Izaki Silva’s goal was named the best of the Conference League season.
