Ukraine soccer league defies Russian war to begin season

By GRAHAM DUNBAR
AP Sports Writer

A new Ukrainian soccer league season starts Tuesday under threat of more Russian attacks in a war that stopped all games being played since February. The elegant Olympic Stadium staged the biggest European soccer games in the past decade though none as poignant as when Shakhtar Donetsk plays Metalist 1925 from Kharkiv. Both are teams from eastern cities that are fighting for their very existence. No fans will be allowed in the 65,000-capacity stadium downtown and the players must be rushed to bomb shelters if air raid sirens sound. The league restart has the blessing of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.