Shakhtar Donetsk win the UEFA Cup

Shakhtar Donetsk win the UEFA Cup

From Sporting Witness by BBC World Service

May 23, 2026 · 10 min

About this episode

Darijo Srna discusses the impact of the 2009 UEFA Cup win and the subsequent war on Shakhtar Donetsk and Ukraine.

When Shakhtar Donetsk won the UEFA Cup in 2009, it was meant to be the start of a new chapter for independent Ukraine. However, when war broke out in 2014, the team's ambitions were put on hold. The captain, Darijo Srna, tells Andy Brassell how he and his family coped in the aftermath. A Stak production. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded. Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including…

People in this episode

Host: Andy Brassell

Guest: Darijo Srna

Topics covered

  • Shakhtar Donetsk
  • UEFA Cup
  • Ukrainian football
  • war impact on sports
  • sporting history

Keywords

  • Shakhtar Donetsk
  • UEFA Cup
  • Darijo Srna
  • Ukraine
  • football history
  • war
  • sports

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Shakhtar Donetsk

Places: Ukraine

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