30 December 2024 , 12:34
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Aleksei Bugayev, a former member of Russia’s Euro 2004 team who played two matches in the tournament before retiring from football in 2010, has been killed on the frontline during the Ukraine conflict.
Former Russia football star Aleksei Bugayev has been killed while fighting in the conflict with Ukraine after joining Vladimir Putin’s forces following a drug trafficking conviction.
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."
The reports from Russia added that Bugayev’s agent Anton Smirnov said it was "impossible" to retrieve his body for a burial due to the intense fighting in the area where he died.
Russia have been fighting Ukraine for nearly three years and Russian president Putin has been eager to recruit as many soldiers as possible amid an increasing amount of losses on the frontlines.
There have been reports that almost 200,000 Russian troops have been killed since the conflict began and Putin recently signed a bill that allowed criminals to join the fight. Some have even been allowed to link up with the army before their trials have taken place.