Ukraine’s destroyed football stadiums – bomb craters, flooded, stands blown up

The harrowing bombing of Ukraine by Russian forces has led to the destruction of over 100,000 buildings – including countless football stadiums.

The venues once hosts thousands of cheering fans but many have either been destroyed completely or are too damaged to use 17 months on from the invasion.

Shelling and large-scale bombings have led to the destruction of pitches, stands and club houses with one stadium flooded after the attacking of a dam.

Daily Star Sport has taken a look at seven stadiums that have been impacted by the war – and one that his being rebuilt.

READ MORE: Ukraine's football hooligans team up to batter Putin's invading Russian forces

Volnovakha Stadium – Destroyed

Satellite images show the current state of the Volnovakha Stadium with a huge crater on what used to be a playing surface.

The stand beside the pitch is also reduced to rubble with the opposite side almost untouched.

Views of the surrounding damage also shows abandoned houses in a truly emotional scene.

Mykolaiv Central Stadium – Bombed

Photos of the Mykolaiv Central Stadium show a huge crater in the grass as the surrounding seats look unaffected.

The stadium was hit with a missile in June of 2022 with no work yet done to repair the stadium, which was built in 1965.

The 16,700 all seater, also known as the Central City Stadium or Tsentralnyi Stadium, was UEFA Category 3.

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Donbass Arena – Abandoned

The Donbass Arena was abandoned long before the invasion of Ukraine, due to the war in Donbas.

A UEFA Category 4 Stadium, it once held over 50,000 fans on a regular basis but now looks unloved due to the circumstances.

Built in 2009 as the home of Shakhtar Donetsk, the stadium has since been damaged in the 2022 attacks.

Enerhiya Athletics Stadium – Flooded

The Enerhiya Athletics Stadium was flooded earlier this year after a dam was attacked by Russian forces.

Damage to the Nova Kakhovka dam saw water spill out for miles with the football pitch under feet of water.

2000 people had to flee their homes in the incident, with no hope of any sport taking place on the pitch anytime soon.

Olympic Sports Training Centre – Destroyed

The Olympic Sports Training Centre in the city of Chernihiv was flattered by bombings last year.

Previously home to Ukrainian Premier League side FC Desna Chernihiv, large chunks of the stands were reduced to rubble as other parts stood.

A rebuild looks almost impossible due to the extent of the damage, with the main stands has collapsed in on itself.

Irpin Stadium – Rebuilt

Andriy Shevchenko led the fund-raising project to rebuild a local ground that was destroyed in the war.

The Irpin’s stadium hosted matches played in by the former Chelsea striker in the 1990s and money was swiftly raised.

The process of rebuilding the club house has begun, Shevchenko said: “I was taken to the stadium where I used to play as a kid. It was absolutely destroyed. The pitch was full of holes made by missiles."

Bakhmut Stadium – Bombed

Photos of a sporting stadium in Bakhmut show a huge crater where fans once would've cheered on sporting stars.

Goal posts still stood in the 2022 images that show the middle of the main stand missing after being hit by a shell.

Seats spewed out onto the pitch during the attack, with a running track in need of repair should it ever reopen.

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