Ukraine war: Russian shelling leaves West Ham winger Yarmolenko's boyhood club stadium in ruins

The 12,000-seater stadium of West Ham star Andriy Yarmolenko's boyhood club in Ukraine has been left destroyed by Russian shelling.

Image Credit: Desna Press Officer (L); Getty Images (R)

Even as Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine, heartbreaking photos of the devastation in the eastern European nation continue to flood social media platforms. A football stadium, the home turf of West Ham star Andriy Yarmolenko's boyhood club, is one among the many places destroyed by Russian shelling in Chernihiv.

Image Credit: Getty Images

The Hammer's star Yarmolenko grew up in the city of Chernihiv after his family moved there from Leningrad. The Ukraine international started his professional career with Desna Chernihiv, and heartbreaking visuals of Yuri Gagarin Stadium being reduced to rubble have shocked the football community.

Built under the Soviet regime in 1936, the 12,000-seater ground has been torn apart by Russian shelling. Pictures show the decimation, and the pitch turned from a turf fit for the Ukrainian Premier League into one full of craters.

It is highly unlikely the ground will be used for football soon. However, a defiant Desna took to Instagram to say, "We will rebuild all this, and we will only become stronger, and you, 'friendly neighbours' will live with it all your life!" 

"Together to victory! The Ukrainian people are a united front. This is our Earth!" the club added.

West Ham's Yarmolenko, who started his professional career at Desna Chernihiv, has in the past played for Dynamo Kyiv and Borussia Dortmund. 

Yarmolenko has described Russia's invasion as 'pure genocide'. In an interview on Ukrainian TV, the winger stated," This is pure genocide. They're just destroying Ukrainian people."

"Shooting at civilians, at children, at women, how is this possible? This is just horror. I don't know how to find the words," the West Ham star added. 

"I have seen Russian people holding a concert. How do these people treat it normally? I am not saying all people in Russia are bad. I know many people who know what is happening. I know how they react to it. But it is clear people are being killed," the Ukraine international added.

In the wake of the attack in Ukraine, West Ham gave Yarmolenko time off in order to be in close contact with his family during challenging times.

In his first match back with the team, the Irons No.7 scored the opening goal as they beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League. Four days later, the winger netted an extra-time winner against Sevilla in the Europa League last-16, sending West Ham to the quarter-finals.

Following the win, an emotional Yarmolenko thanked West Ham fans for their support for the people of Ukraine. "Since February 26, I had to rest for four days because it was impossible to train – I was just thinking about my family and my people. I just tried to give everything on the pitch," he had said.

According to the UN, since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 28, there have been nearly 1,800 civilian casualties.

Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons such as shelling, missiles and airstrikes.