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Ukraine league finally defies Russian war to begin season

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Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Fans gather in Kyiv ahead of Ukraine v England - Kyiv, Ukraine - July 3, 2021. [Reuters]

Under the threat of Russian attacks in a war that stopped all football in Ukraine in February, a new league season began Tuesday in Kyiv with the goal of restoring some sense of normal life.

The elegant Olympic Stadium has staged the biggest European football games in the past decade though none as poignant as the opening-day meeting of Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist 1925 from Kharkiv - teams from eastern cities that are fighting for their very existence.

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