Russian football star, Aleksei Bugayev, has been killed in Ukraine after signing up to war to escape drugs conviction.
Bugayev, who was part of the Russia team that featured at Euro 2004, playing two games before later retiring from football in 2010, was killed on the frontline while fighting in the Ukraine conflict
Bugayev, who has died aged 43, made a name for himself as a footballer as he featured for Moscow clubs Torpedo and Lokomotiv and later Krasnodar while also picking up seven caps for the Russian national team.
He was part of the Russia team that featured at Euro 2004, playing two games at the championships before later retiring from football in 2010 aged 29.
However, Bugayev’s life after football led to personal struggles as he was caught up in a drug trafficking operation last year. He was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison in September.
Reports claimed he was attempting to sell nearly half a kilogram of methylephedrine, which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list.
It was reported that Bugayev could have faced 20 years had he not pleaded guilty in court having been held in custody since November 2023.
Since his conviction, he declared his intention to fight in the Ukraine war given Russia’s drive to recruit prisoners for the ongoing conflict.
Now his father Ivan has confirmed the tragic news of his son’s passing on the front lines while speaking to Sport24. He said: “Unfortunately, the news about Aleksei’s death is true. It happened today.”
