FC Chernihiv is a defiant gesture towards Vladimir Putin and his army, as Shahed drones still cut through the skies above a city that had nearly 300,000 residents before the war.
On February 24th, 2022, time stood still. Anton Boychenko, coach of the club's U14s, remembers it as a plunge into the surreal. Originally from Kherson, he was in Chernihiv when the invasion began. "It was total uncertainty. Should I flee? Stay? I chose to stay. Throughout the siege, I lived here without electricity, water, or heating."
The city, a strategic stronghold on the road to Kyiv, was captured by Russian forces from February 24th to April 1st, until Ukrainian troops pushed them back to the borders.
During that month-long siege, Chernihiv was cut off from the world, suffering relentless bombardments and air raids. Residential areas, schools, hospitals, and sports facilities were destroyed. Residents had only one possible escape route, which was often targeted by shelling. For weeks, sport was out of the question - survival was all that mattered.
'We had to be the reflection of a city that doesn’t bend'
When the Ukrainian army liberated the city, residents saw the devastation: the stadium of Desna Chernihiv, the region’s historic club playing in the top division, was completely destroyed, and the professional team could not return to the league.
The club eventually disappeared. For Yuriy Synytsia, president of FC Chernihiv, this loss was a shock: "Desna’s disappearance left a huge void, a symbol collapsing. But it gave us a new responsibility. If we were the only professional team left in the region, we had to be the reflection of a city that doesn’t bend. Stopping would mean giving the enemy a small victory."
FC Chernihiv was not spared by the war either: the stadium, part of the administrative building, the locker rooms, the ticket office, and the club shop were all damaged by various shellings and fighting in the city.
In March 2022, the stadium pitch was even a frontline between the two sides, with a Russian sniper hiding in the ruined stands. But after the siege ended, the whole city came together to remove explosives and clear debris from every corner of the buildings.
On April 26th, 2022, FC Chernihiv players held their first home training session since the war began. Before training, the team and staff had to clear new debris from the pitch.
At the end of July 2022, the arena had to be repaired again after rocket attacks. In August 2022, FC Chernihiv launched a fundraising campaign to help fully renovate the stadium.
Beyond the facilities, everything needs rebuilding in the area: many families have been evacuated, the economy is struggling, sponsors are disappearing, players are leaving, and schools are closing.
'The Bilbao of the East'
But FC Chernihiv stands firm to limit the damage. Founded in 2003 by brothers Yuriy and Mykola Synytsia, owners of the Collar company that sells pet products, FCC is not your typical club run by wealthy patrons.
The passionate brothers visited 150 stadiums across Europe to design their own 500-seat venue, Chernihiv-Arena, inspired by British stadiums.
Their philosophy is clear: FC Chernihiv is the 'Bilbao of the East'. The club only fields players from the Chernihiv Oblast or those trained in its own academy.
"It’s not just a sporting choice, it’s a social and identity choice. Children need to be able to stay in our city, continue their projects, and see that there’s a future here," explains the club president.
"In wartime, this local model has become an act of resistance. Players born here feel a different responsibility towards the city. Of course, it’s sometimes harder in sporting terms, but we’re not building for short-term success - we’re laying the foundations for the future."
This unity has helped the club progress: now in the Persha Liga, Ukraine’s second division, the club reached the quarter-finals of the Ukrainian Cup for the first time in its history this season.
For some, wearing the FC Chernihiv shirt means more than just playing football. Andrey Porokhnya, a defender and local boy, carries a deep wound. His father, a tank commander and early volunteer, was killed in combat in June 2022 near Soledar (Donetsk region).
"For me, it’s personal. My father was a patriot, a symbol of courage. When I put on the FC Chernihiv shirt, it’s not just a game. It’s about memory. I don’t just play for the club, I play for my home," Porokhnya said.
'If we can run on grass, it’s because others are in the trenches'
Andriy embodies the spirit that defines the team. "We don’t complain about the state of the pitch anymore. We realise that if we can run on grass, it’s because others are in the trenches."
Every match now begins with a kickoff by a soldier. "When they step onto the pitch, we want to give everything for them," he adds.
The beating heart of the club is its 500 young players. But here, training is unlike anywhere else. "Shahed drones regularly fly over the stadium," explains Anton Boychenko.
"Whenever the siren sounds, we head down to the large shelter built by the club under the complex to accommodate all the kids training at the same time. We constantly tell the children they need to react quickly."
In these reinforced concrete bunkers, training doesn’t stop: they do tactical theory and even first aid classes.
The coach has become a psychological pillar: "Many children have parents at the front. Some have already lost their fathers, sadly. As long as soldiers defend our country, our duty is to work for their children: help them, raise them, give them emotions so their childhood isn’t defined only by war."
Last autumn, relentless attacks forced the cancellation of many matches, but the club never considered closing its doors.
FC Chernihiv’s ambition defies the logic of bombs. Instead of freezing investments, the Synytsia brothers are speeding up. The club recently laid a new training pitch and built a complex with a gym and hotel for young players from rural areas.
'As long as children train, the club is alive'
"Seeing 500 kids on a pitch makes you realise you’re doing the right thing," says Yuriy Synytsia.
"They shouldn’t live only with news from the front - they deserve a childhood. If the club helps them become strong, physically and mentally, that’s our greatest victory. If they one day become national team players, like our local hero Andriy Yarmolenko, we’ll be immensely proud."
Running a club in these conditions is a balancing act. "It’s daily work in uncertainty," the president admits. "You plan a session, an alert interrupts it. You prepare for a match, but you think first about the players’ safety." Still, FC Chernihiv refuses to relocate to the safer west of the country.
This geographical loyalty is the key to their survival. By staying, the club keeps Chernihiv’s social fabric intact. It gives parents a trusted structure and children real hope. Every day, many of them are coached by first-team players, like Artur Bybik, the club’s most capped player with 120 matches at just 24, who also coaches the U7s.
"The most important thing is that we haven’t stopped training in our academy. As long as the kids train, the club is alive," the president assures.
Since April 2025, the first team has played its matches on an artificial pitch installed right next to its stadium, the Chernihiv Arena. But the club is about to return to its real home ground, where it played before the 2022 siege.
"Back then, the war was raging right here. Today, we’re laying natural grass, installing underfloor heating, and preparing the stadium to meet top division standards," explains Yuriy Synytsia.
"When the whistle blows again, it won’t just be a match. It will be proof that the city stood firm. That life has returned where the occupiers once were. For me, it will be one of our greatest victories."
FC Chernihiv shows that while sport can’t stop missiles, it can prevent a society from collapsing from within.
"When a match is played in a city that survived a siege, when the people in the stands have lived through all this, you realise it’s much more than sport. It’s a way to show we haven’t been broken," concludes Andriy Porokhnya.