Ukrainian goalkeeper spoke out against forced mobilization: he fled the country to play in Belarus

Ukrainian goalkeeper Denys Shelikhov swam across the Tysa River and fled to Belarus, where he now plays for the club “Slavia” (Mozyr city).

This was reported by the Ukrainian publication Sport-Express.

According to the source, the 35-year-old Shelikhov illegally crossed the state border by swimming across the Tysa River to leave the country. Prior to this, the footballer carefully prepared for his escape: for two months, he trained swimming with flippers in the river.

The player himself could not justify the legality of his departure from Ukraine and did not directly deny the information published by the media.

“Swim across the Tysa? Well, that’s your guess and the assumptions of those guys who told you. They probably know better, so let them tell you,” Shelikhov said.

Previously, media reported that a Shakhtar footballer fled to Russia after a match in Belgium. The Russians claimed the athlete had requested political asylum.

Additionally, Artem Dovbyk, a striker for Spain’s “Girona,” and Anatoliy Trubin, a goalkeeper for Portugal’s “Benfica”—both players on Ukraine’s national team—were included in a list by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. This list features athletes who left Ukraine during the war on agreed foreign assignments but have not returned.