Russia
Russian soccer player dies in Ukraine war
The former Russian player, who played in the European Championship in Portugal in 2004, died fighting in the invasion of Ukraine.
Alexey Bugaev, a former Russian professional soccer player, has died at the age of 43 while fighting with the Russian army in their invasion of Ukraine.
Bugaev played for five clubs in the Russian league during his soccer career, including Torpedo Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow, Tom Tomsk, Khimki, and Krasnodar. He also represented Russia’s national team in seven matches, including being part of the squad for the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament held in Portugal.
After retiring from professional soccer at the age of 29, Bugaev faced legal troubles. In October 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking. However, he avoided serving the sentence by joining the Russian military. Just months after enlisting, Bugaev lost his life in combat.
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