We speak with facts, not emotions
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
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Shakhtar CEO Serhii Palkin commented on current issues
– Mr Palkin, today the media published an interview with Dynamo president Ihor Surkis, in which he repeatedly addresses you and makes a number of emotional statements. You are probably familiar with his words. What is your reaction?
– Frankly speaking, I’m surprised by Mr Surkis’ comments. Let’s look at our two most recent matches against Dynamo. They were certainly emotional – that’s exactly why we love football. Experts and fans alike unanimously note that it has been a long time since we’ve seen such bright and intense Clasicos. This is important for Ukrainian football today.
If we set emotions aside and evaluate the game itself, Shakhtar looked stronger than their opponents in both matches. In the first, the Cup tie, only one team dominated on the pitch for two-thirds of the match – Shakhtar. At the end, Dynamo managed to take advantage of our mistakes and go through; we accepted that defeat with dignity and shook hands. The second match – already in the league – confirmed that this dominance in play was no coincidence: we deservedly won and gave the fans not only the result but also beautiful, meaningful football.
On transfers and the club’s operational efficiency
– Mr Surkis raised the topic of transfers. This is an important part of modern football and I can confidently say that Shakhtar conducts its transfer policy effectively and transparently. Since April 2022, the club has earned more than USD 400 million. We invest in quality players with the aim of developing them and selling them on in the future. We buy footballers for USD 10–15 million and sell them for much higher prices – several times more. In just the past few months, we have sold two players for a total of EUR 70 million. Part of the proceeds – around EUR 40 million – we reinvest in new quality players, and we do so because we can afford it.
Kevin’s example shows that even during the war, a player can come to the UPL, grow and then move to one of the world’s top leagues – the English Premier League. This enhances the prestige of Ukrainian football. Kevin’s transfer was the third most expensive among Brazilian players moving to the EPL in the summer transfer window of the 2025/26 season. Only the transfers of Cunha to Manchester United and João Pedro to Chelsea were higher.
Heorhii Sudakov’s move to Benfica is not only a step forward in the career of a Ukraine national team player but also a benefit for all of Ukrainian football.
At the same time, we do not forget that the club is also a taxpayer. Our successful transfer and commercial activity enables us to pay significant taxes. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Shakhtar has paid more than UAH 1.87 billion in taxes, equivalent to around USD 47 million. This is our real contribution to the country’s economy.
And now a fair question arises, one that we would like to hear an answer to: what is the situation with our main rival in the title race when it comes to paying taxes?
On social responsibility and charity
– Shakhtar not only invests significant funds in footballers but also understands what true charity means. Ukraine lives in a state of war and it is extremely important for us to support the army and the people. Shakhtar regularly reports on its charitable activities – the total value of the projects reached UAH 32 million in the past year alone.
And since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the club’s president Rinat Akhmetov and his businesses have donated UAH 12.8 billion to charity. These are not just words – these are concrete actions and figures. And we would also like to see concrete figures from Dynamo on this subject.
On refereeing and Dynamo’s reaction
– Mr Surkis said: “I stayed silent for a long time.” But as soon as Dynamo lost in the league for the first time in a year and a half, we heard loud emotional statements.
At Shakhtar, we have been speaking about refereeing issues for a long time and in a consistent manner. At the same time, we acknowledge the quality work of referees when it truly deserves recognition, as was the case after the Cup match, which our head coach Arda Turan mentioned. As for the recent game against Dynamo, in our opinion, there were refereeing mistakes. In particular, the opponents’ goal was scored in violation of the rules: the Dynamo player was in an offside position. We are officially submitting an appeal to the Referees Committee regarding this episode. There was also an incident involving Yarmolenko, when he grabbed Valerii Bondar by the throat and was effectively choking him – that was clearly a red-card offence, yet it went unnoticed.
The topic of refereeing is indeed a sensitive one and most clubs are talking about it. Everyone – except Dynamo. And it is telling that they started raising this issue only after their first defeat.
At Shakhtar, we prefer to speak not with emotions, but with facts.
– Frankly speaking, I’m surprised by Mr Surkis’ comments. Let’s look at our two most recent matches against Dynamo. They were certainly emotional – that’s exactly why we love football. Experts and fans alike unanimously note that it has been a long time since we’ve seen such bright and intense Clasicos. This is important for Ukrainian football today.
If we set emotions aside and evaluate the game itself, Shakhtar looked stronger than their opponents in both matches. In the first, the Cup tie, only one team dominated on the pitch for two-thirds of the match – Shakhtar. At the end, Dynamo managed to take advantage of our mistakes and go through; we accepted that defeat with dignity and shook hands. The second match – already in the league – confirmed that this dominance in play was no coincidence: we deservedly won and gave the fans not only the result but also beautiful, meaningful football.
On transfers and the club’s operational efficiency
– Mr Surkis raised the topic of transfers. This is an important part of modern football and I can confidently say that Shakhtar conducts its transfer policy effectively and transparently. Since April 2022, the club has earned more than USD 400 million. We invest in quality players with the aim of developing them and selling them on in the future. We buy footballers for USD 10–15 million and sell them for much higher prices – several times more. In just the past few months, we have sold two players for a total of EUR 70 million. Part of the proceeds – around EUR 40 million – we reinvest in new quality players, and we do so because we can afford it.
Kevin’s example shows that even during the war, a player can come to the UPL, grow and then move to one of the world’s top leagues – the English Premier League. This enhances the prestige of Ukrainian football. Kevin’s transfer was the third most expensive among Brazilian players moving to the EPL in the summer transfer window of the 2025/26 season. Only the transfers of Cunha to Manchester United and João Pedro to Chelsea were higher.
Heorhii Sudakov’s move to Benfica is not only a step forward in the career of a Ukraine national team player but also a benefit for all of Ukrainian football.
At the same time, we do not forget that the club is also a taxpayer. Our successful transfer and commercial activity enables us to pay significant taxes. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Shakhtar has paid more than UAH 1.87 billion in taxes, equivalent to around USD 47 million. This is our real contribution to the country’s economy.
And now a fair question arises, one that we would like to hear an answer to: what is the situation with our main rival in the title race when it comes to paying taxes?
On social responsibility and charity
– Shakhtar not only invests significant funds in footballers but also understands what true charity means. Ukraine lives in a state of war and it is extremely important for us to support the army and the people. Shakhtar regularly reports on its charitable activities – the total value of the projects reached UAH 32 million in the past year alone.
And since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the club’s president Rinat Akhmetov and his businesses have donated UAH 12.8 billion to charity. These are not just words – these are concrete actions and figures. And we would also like to see concrete figures from Dynamo on this subject.
On refereeing and Dynamo’s reaction
– Mr Surkis said: “I stayed silent for a long time.” But as soon as Dynamo lost in the league for the first time in a year and a half, we heard loud emotional statements.
At Shakhtar, we have been speaking about refereeing issues for a long time and in a consistent manner. At the same time, we acknowledge the quality work of referees when it truly deserves recognition, as was the case after the Cup match, which our head coach Arda Turan mentioned. As for the recent game against Dynamo, in our opinion, there were refereeing mistakes. In particular, the opponents’ goal was scored in violation of the rules: the Dynamo player was in an offside position. We are officially submitting an appeal to the Referees Committee regarding this episode. There was also an incident involving Yarmolenko, when he grabbed Valerii Bondar by the throat and was effectively choking him – that was clearly a red-card offence, yet it went unnoticed.
The topic of refereeing is indeed a sensitive one and most clubs are talking about it. Everyone – except Dynamo. And it is telling that they started raising this issue only after their first defeat.
At Shakhtar, we prefer to speak not with emotions, but with facts.