Yehor Yarmoliuk: Proud Ukrainian | OneFootball

Nearly three years have passed since the full-scale war began in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in late February 2022.

That day is one that the people of Ukraine will never forget.

Yehor Yarmoliuk, now a Premier League player with Brentford 3,000 miles away from his home, recalls the moment that his life, as well as that of his fellow Ukrainians, changed forever.

“I lived in Dnipro,” says the now 20-year-old who was just a teenager at the time.

“I woke up because I heard some bombs. The first thing I did was call my family and ask what happened. They said, ‘The war has started’.

“I took my passport and important clothes and went to my family. I was living away from them so I went to my family as soon as possible.”

That experience, and the ongoing daily hurt Yarmoliuk and his compatriots feel, has understandably changed his outlook on life.

“Before the war, I didn’t think that it was even possible to be like this,” he admits. “Now, you look at things differently.

“For me, it’s changed a lot. It’s changed my mindset. It changes how I am and how I feel every day.

“It makes you realise how happy you have to be to just not have war in your country. My heroes are the soldiers who are fighting for Ukraine in the situation right now.”

Simultaneously, Yarmoliuk's story is both one in a million and one that millions can tell.

As of November 2024, four million Ukrainians have been displaced within the country, with a further 6.8m being recorded as refugees globally - around 252,000 of those people currently reside within the UK.

To put that into context, around one million more people than the metropolitan area population of London have been displaced or have fled the country, one third of Ukraine’s pre-war population.

Yarmoliuk’s parents and his little brother are amongst those who have remained in their home country despite the ongoing conflict.

“They said to me that they can’t move,” he continues. “They don’t want to leave their house. It’s their home so they don’t want to move.

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to, but I haven’t visited my home for two and a half years. It’s very tough. I’m just waiting for the war to finish to go home even for a few days and to see my family.

“I haven’t seen my dad for two and a half years but I saw my mum in the summer. She came with my brother to Poland so we got a few days together. It was very special.

“I speak with my family every day; to my mother, my dad and my young brother. We speak for one hour every day, it’s very important for me.

“I have some friends in Ukraine who I haven’t seen for a few years, but I’m still in touch with them and sometimes we chat. I hope that soon we’ll be able to meet together again.”

Born in Verkhniodniprovsk, a city on the banks of Dnipro River, Yarmoliuk’s early memories are not too indifferent from any Premier League footballer, or the millions around the world who aspired to be one.

Pushed to work hard on the pitch by his dad, his talent quickly became apparent.

“I remember when I used to go with friends to play football,” he says.

“We’d just play football for the whole day, enjoy it and not think about anything. Those are my best memories from growing up.

“My dad helped me a lot. When I didn’t want to go to training, he told me that I had to.

“My dad is not a professional football player but he liked to play with his friends as well. He really supported me.”

He continues: “I started to play in my local team which was near to Dnipro. I then started to play for another team from another city which is near to Dnipro. I was there from six to 13, when I joined Dnipro [SC Dnipro-1].”

Playing ahead of his years, Yarmoliuk made his debut for Ukraine Under-21s aged just 16 and in June 2020, he became the second-youngest player to feature in the top tier of Ukrainian football when he played for SC Dnipro-1 against FC Vorskla Poltava.

“I remember the day before the game, I didn’t even know that I was going to be in the squad for the next day,” he says.

“I asked the coach if I could go home and he said, ‘no you can’t, you need to be ready for tomorrow’s game because tomorrow, you’re going to make your debut’.

“I was so surprised and I remember when I came on the pitch, it was so scary but I was also so proud of myself.”

Clearly excelling in the domestic game in Ukraine, as well as featuring prominently for the national side’s youth teams, Yarmoliuk's football development was then, as you’d expect, delayed by the outbreak of the war.

Despite being happy to have joined Brentford – he signed for an undisclosed fee from SC Dnipro-1 and penned a three-year contract in July 2022 – the midfielder admits that moving to the Premier League, or even away from his home country at all, was something he had not considered before the Russian invasion.

“When we had Covid, we kept training in Dnipro but when the war started in Ukraine, it was a tough time for us,” he says.

“I didn’t train for half of the year because it wasn’t possible. Nobody trained, nobody knew how long it was going to be. I then found a way and started to train by myself, and then also play football with friends.

“Of course, I wanted to stay at home. I was 17 or 18. I was scared to move somewhere far away from home where you don’t know the language.

“My family were so proud of me and they just supported me, and told me I needed to do it. They said sometimes you need to make big decisions and big steps to have a better future.”

He adds: “I didn’t think about it [moving out of Ukraine] before but then I didn’t have a choice, so I had to move.

“It was interesting because I didn’t know about it. My agent told me that Brentford were interested in me. It actually wasn’t that long; it only took a few weeks to get the deal done and I moved.

“I got a big chance to move to the Premier League with Brentford and I’m very happy with it.”

Moving to another country aged 18 is daunting enough, but as Yarmoliuk mentions, the language barrier was a clear obstacle from day one.

A fellow Ukrainian - Mariia Manirko, the club’s premium services executive – was a key person who helped him settle in both at the club and in the city.

“I didn’t speak English at all and when you can’t understand anything, it’s very tough,” he says.

“Language was the biggest thing but with time, it’s getting easier and easier. Mariia helped me a lot with everything from the language, to renting a flat and finding a place.

“Everyone helped me a lot. We have a friendly team who can help you in a tough moment as well as when it’s good.

“Now, I’m happy that I moved but it was a big step in my life. For me, it’s a second home.

“I feel like I’m at home now, and it also feels more like home because we have a lot of Ukrainians here [in London].”

Yarmoliuk, who made it 50 appearances for Brentford in January’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City, was called up to Ukraine’s senior squad for the first time in November.

He didn’t feature in either of that month’s UEFA Nations League fixtures – “It was a really good experience. I am so excited to make my debut and I hope that it will soon be another dream of mine that can come true,” Yarmoliuk adds.

As mentioned, though, the 20-year-old has played in the youth sides for Ukraine, who continue to play their ‘home’ games outside of Ukraine in neighbouring Poland.

Yarmoliuk concludes by describing exactly what representing his country in the current climate means to him and his team-mates.

“Before [the war], I was really proud to play for Ukraine. Now, when you get the Ukraine shirt on you it means a lot for me and every player who plays for Ukraine.

“In every game, you’re leaving everything on the pitch for Ukraine. We are playing for everyone in Ukraine.

“My family have only been able to watch on TV because we don’t play in Ukraine, we only play away games.

“It’s not easy but you can’t change anything, you just have to play. You have to represent your country wherever you can.

“It’s the Ukrainian mentality. We will never give up; we just keep going. I’m really proud of my country and I’m really proud to be Ukrainian.”