Ex‑soccer star Aleksei Bugayev killed in Ukraine war
Aleksei Bugayev, a former player for the Russian national soccer team, was killed in the war in Ukraine. The player's father confirmed this information during an interview with Russian media. In September 2023, Bugayev was sentenced to prison. He died on December 29, 2024, at the age of 43.
Ivan Bugayev, Aleksei's father, was quoted by the Sport24 service and the TASS agency as saying: "Unfortunately, the reports about Aleksei's death are true. It happened today (December 29 – editor's note)."
The athlete's agent, Anton Smirnov, also confirmed the reports. In an interview with the RIA agency, he stated that due to ongoing fighting at the front in Ukraine, it is currently impossible to transport the player's body to Russian territory.
Aleksei Bugayev has died. The former Russian national soccer team player was killed in the war in Ukraine
Aleksei Bugayev played as a central defender. He made his debut for the Russian national team on May 25, 2004. This was during a friendly match against Austria, which ended in a 0–0 draw. The coach of the Russian team at the time, Georgij Yartsev, selected him for the 2004 European Championship squad held in Portugal.
Bugayev played in two matches during the tournament: a 0–2 loss to the host nation and a 2–1 victory over Greece, who later won the championship. His last appearance for the national team was in 2005. He wore the national team jersey seven times.
Throughout his career, he played exclusively for Russian clubs. He was trained at Torpedo Moscow but competed in the most matches, nearly 100, for Tom Tomsk, representing them during the years 2001–2002 and 2006–2008. Additionally, he played for Lokomotiv Moscow, FC Khimki, and FC Krasnodar. He ended his career in 2010.
In September 2023, Bugayev was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison for drug smuggling. To avoid serving the sentence, he enlisted in the army, taking advantage of an option for prisoner recruitment for the war that has been ongoing since February 2022.
