Aleksei Bugayev, 43, a former Russian international footballer, was killed while participating in Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, the news of Aleksei’s death is accurate. “It happened today,” the player’s father, Ivan Bugayev, told Sport24.
According to the RIA news agency, Bugayev’s representative, Anton Smirnov, stated that the heavy fighting made it difficult to recover Bugayev’s remains for burial.
Bugayev represented the Russian national team in two matches at the 2004 European Championship, Moscow clubs Torpedo and Lokomotiv, and various regional teams. He retired in 2010 at the age of 29.
In September, a court in southern Russia sentenced Bugayev to nine and a half years in prison for narcotics trafficking.
He later stated his intention to fight in the Ukraine war.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION→ Telegram | X/Twitter | Facebook | WhatsApp|WhatsApp Channel|Mobile App|Instagram
Russia has been fighting Ukraine for nearly three years, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has been eager to enlist as many men as possible despite rising casualties on the front lines.
