By Andrew Osborn
MOSCOW, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Bone fragments from the sword hand of a medieval Russian prince who won a famous victory over the Mongols have been sent to the front in Ukraine to raise army morale in the Russian Orthodox Church's latest show of support for President ‌Vladimir Putin's war.
The sarcophagus of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, who died in 1389 and is revered by Russian nationalists for defeating the Mongol Golden Horde at ‌the 1380 Battle of Kulikovo, was uncovered this summer during restoration work at Moscow's Cathedral of the Archangel inside the Kremlin.
Putin personally inspected what experts said were the prince's well-preserved remains in August, hailing them as "an absolutely unique and marvellous discovery" which reinforced the foundations of Russian history.
The Russian Orthodox Church, which has backed Putin throughout the conflict, said it had dispatched a fragment of Donskoy's right hand to Donetsk, one of four Ukrainian regions Putin said he had incorporated into Russia in 2022, a move Kyiv rejected as an illegal land grab.

#prince #andrew #osborn #reuters

Rangers have confirmed they have bought Venezuela striker Kevin Kelsy from Portland Timbers for an undisclosed fee and taken Algeria winger Badredine Bouanani on a season-long loan from Stuttgart.
Their double announcement as the Scottish summer transfer window closed on Thursday takes the total of additions to the Ibrox squad to 14.
The 22-year-old Kelsy, who has signed a four-year contract with the option of an additional year with the Scottish Premiership club, had joined Portland on a four-year deal when he was sold by Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2025.
Kelsy has made 16 appearances this season for Portland, scoring 10 goals and contributing three ***** ists, for the side sitting 11th in the Western Conference and 17th overall in Major League Soccer.
Overall, the 6ft, 4in left-footed striker has played 63 times, scored 19 goals and registered five ***** ists, having helped Timbers finish eighth in the Western Conference and 17th overall last year.

#year

Mykhailo Mudryk joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023 for an initial £61m, having attracted interest from clubs across Europe including ******* nal.
After impressing in the Champions League with Shakhtar in the first half of 2022-23, Mudryk needed time to adapt to a new country and league.
He had to wait until October 2023 for his first Chelsea goal, and he ended his first full campaign at Stamford Bridge with seven goals and four ******* ists.
By the start of 2024-25, Graham Potter - who signed Mudryk - had been succeeded first by Frank Lampard, then Mauricio Pochettino and finally Enzo Maresca.
Mudryk struggled for Premier League starts in the first months of Maresca's tenure, but he was making an impact in the Conference League when he underwent an out-of-competition test on international duty with Ukraine in October 2024.

#first #mykhailo #donetsk #Europe

Chelsea have agreed to sell midfielder Enzo Fernández to Manchester City for £125 million ($169 million) as Mykhailo Mudryk made a deadline-day move to rivals Tottenham.
With the 11 pm (2200 GMT) deadline fast approaching, the Press ***** ociation understands a British record-equalling deal has been struck to take the Argentina international to the Etihad Stadium.
The size of the fee for Fernandez matches that paid by Liverpool to Newcastle for Alexander Isak a year ago and comes on a day when Everton's Iliman Ndiaye joined City for up to £65 million, signing a contract until 2031.
As for Chelsea's eye-catching transfer business, defender Tosin Adarabioyo is set to leave Stamford Bridge for Spurs after Mudryk reunited with his former Shakhtar Donetsk coach Roberto De Zerbi.
Mudryk joined Chelsea in an £89 million deal in 2023 and in July came back from a 20-month suspension after returning an adverse finding for the banned substance meldonium in 2024.

#city #deal

Ukrainian forward Mykhailo Mudryk, whose doping suspension recently ended, has been loaned by Chelsea to Tottenham Hotspur for the 2026/27 season, the London clubs announced Tuesday.
The 25-year-old winger will look to revitalise his career under Roberto De Zerbi, his former coach at Shakhtar Donetsk, who took over as Spurs manager in March.
"I will demand a lot from Misha (Mudryk) and it is our job to help him find the best version of himself. If we do that then he can become a very important player for us," De Zerbi said in a Tottenham press release.
"I am very happy he chose to come here, and I cannot wait to work with him again."
The Football ******* ociation cleared Mudryk to play again in late July following an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that led to the withdrawal of the Ukrainian's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

#doping

Tottenham have signed Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk on loan until the end of the season.
As part of the agreement, Spurs have the option to turn the 25-year-old Ukraine international's move permanent for £75m.
The move reunites him with Spurs boss Roberto de Zerbi, who was his manager at Shakhtar Donetsk before his move to Chelsea in 2023.
"It's a great feeling and I can't wait to start training and playing for the club," Mudryk said.
"I'm a player who brings speed and creativity, and I want to help in both the offensive and defensive areas. I want to make the fans excited.

#move #Chelsea #mykhailo #zerbi

Chelsea have accepted offers from Tottenham for winger Mykhailo Mudryk and defender Tosin Adarabioyo, as well as a bid from Italian club Como for goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
The trio are now expected to leave Stamford Bridge, subject to agreeing personal terms, with Spurs keen to secure Mudryk, 25, and reunite him with his former manager Roberto de Zerbi.
The Ukraine international has not played a competitive match since November 2024, serving a suspension that followed an adverse finding for the banned substance meldonium, but he has been eligible to football since July.
Mudryk previously played under De Zerbi at Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk before moving to Chelsea for an initial £61m.
Spurs will also sign Chelsea defender Adarabioyo, 28, on a permanent deal to replace Kevin Danso, who is set to join Sunderland on an initial loan.

#Chelsea #SPURS #since

Inter and Roma begin their Champions League campaign away at Real Madrid and Fenerbahçe, respectively, while Napoli will host ****** nal and Como will meet RB Leipzig at the Stadio Sinigaglia.
UEFA has released the fixture list for the league phase of the Champions League.
Inter will start their Champions League journey away in Madrid. They'll face José Mourinho's Real Madrid on September 8 at 21:00 CET, reuniting with the Portuguese coach at the same stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu, where the Nerazzurri and Mou won the Champions League Final in 2010. That was also the last time a Serie A club won the Champions League.
Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho lifts the trophy in front of his team after winning the UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, 22 May 2010. EPA/EMILIO NARANJO NO MOBILE DEVICES
Games against Club Brugge (home) and Shakhtar Donetsk (away at Stamford Bridge) will be played on October 13 and October 21, respectively.

#real

French former football player Thierry Henry shows the paper slip of Real Madrid CF (ESP) during the draw ceremony for the league phase of the 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League football tournament at the Grimaldi Forum in the Principality of Monaco on August 27, 2026. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP via Getty Images)
Real Madrid learned their opponents for the 2026/27 Champions League league phase on Thursday, as UEFA held this season's draw in Geneva. Under the competition's Swiss-style format, now in its third year, Real Madrid will play eight league-phase matches, four at home and four away, against sides drawn from four seeding pots rather than the old group of four.
This year's draw pairs Real Madrid with Inter Milan and ******* nal from Pot One, PSV Eindhoven and Roma from Pot Two, Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk from Pot Three, and LASK and AEK Athens from Pot Four. It is a mix of old rivals and near strangers, given that ******* nal beat Real Madrid out of the quarter-finals only two years ago, Roma once knocked them out under coach José Mourinho's old adversaries, and LASK have never faced them at all.
Real Madrid go into the campaign looking to bounce back from a run of three quarter-final exits in four seasons, sandwiched around their 15th European Cup in 2023/24. The league phase runs from September through January, with matchday dates and kick-off times still to be confirmed by UEFA, before the knockout rounds begin in February and build toward the final at Madrid's own Estadio Metropolitano next June.
Pot one of the draw brings the heaviest company, Inter Milan at home and ******* nal away. Real Madrid's record against Inter is one of the most one-sided in the competition, eight wins from nine home meetings and four straight victories in their recent run. ******* nal is a different proposition. The two clubs have met just twice, back in 2005/06, before colliding again in the 2024-25 quarter-finals, when ******* nal won 5-1 on aggregate and hold the head-to-head edge from all three meetings.

#madrid #league #arsenal

Manchester United are interested in signing the Shakhtar Donetsk striker Kaua Elias.
According to reports from Spain, Manchester United have been scouting the 20-year-old Brazilian striker, and their scouts have submitted positive reports. Elias' representatives are already aware of the Premier League club's interest, and the player would cost around £30 million.
They have been watching him closely, and it remains to be seen whether they submit an offer to sign him. The striker has a contract with the Ukrainian club until December 2029. Manchester United will have to pay the asking price if they want to get the deal done.
The striker scored 11 goals for the Ukrainian club last season and he is on the radar of Premier League rivals ******* nal as well. The Gunners have been monitoring his progress, and it will be interesting to see if they are prepared to compete with Manchester United for his signature.
The Red Devils certainly have the financial muscle to get the deal across the line. Even though the £30 million valuation seems high right now, the player has the potential to justify the investment in the long term.

#manchester #player

Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk have agreed to play Champions League home games at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge this season.
It means that west London will host at least four fixtures in the expanded league phase of the competition, with the draw to come next Thursday.
However, it remains subject to regulatory approval but Uefa, European football's governing body, and Hammersmith and Fulham Council have signed the move off.
Upon announcing the agreement, which is understood to be non-commercial, Chelsea said: "FC Shakhtar have played in countries across Europe and we look forward to welcoming them to London for their Champions League campaign this year.
"We will be working with the Shakhtar team closely over the coming weeks to ensure that matchdays run safely and smoothly for their team and supporters."

#london #ukrainian

The news has been pointing this direction for a while now, but finally we get the most solid reporting yet that Manor Solmon is leaving Tottenham Hotspur. Fabrizio Romano (sigh) tweeted this afternoon that full agreement has been reached between Tottenham and West Ham, and Solomon will be heading across town to play football in the Championship next season. The deal is a permanent one.
I'll say again that £5m + £2m in add-ons is a fire-sale price for a player like Manor who has already proven that he can do well in the second division. That said, Solomon has proven himself to be a divisive — there I go using that word again — player who has been pretty much shut out by Spurs' last three managers, including Roberto De Zerbi who actually managed him at Shakhtar Donetsk from where he was signed three years ago. That tells me a lot. Clearly Spurs' priorities were more finding him a new club and less making any sort of substantial profit on his sale.
I won't belabor this and anyway I'm not opening the comments for this or any future Solomon article because honestly I'm just sick to death of the guy and am glad I no longer really have to write about him or moderate any more comment sections that discuss him. He was here, he didn't do much, and now he's nearly gone.
I will say that Solomon feels like a really weird fit for a club like West Ham considering their fans' past, y'know, conduct towards Tottenham Hotspur. A cursory social media search suggests this isn't the most popular signing with that lot. I do really, honestly hope that it doesn't turn out to be as bad a situation as I think it potentially could be, and that's all I'm going to say about that.
But Solomon is a tested and proven attacker at West Ham's current level and I have no doubt he'll do well there. Honestly, for what it's worth I'm just glad it's (almost) finally over.

#TOTTENHAM #west #really

Chelsea have been handed a significant boost as speedy winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been cleared to return to action after nearly two years out.
The Ukraine international was suspended for doping, but the ban has been lifted with immediate effect.
The Football ******* ociation's statement said that under current scientific testing standards, the sample collected from the 25-year-old would not have been reported as a positive violation.
Chelsea have released a statement also confirming the news, and the former Shakhtar Donetsk man will jet out to Hong Kong to join the team on tour.
Mudryk's last appearance for the Blues was against Heidenheim in the Europa Conference League in 2024.

#statement #hong #kong

Borussia Mönchengladbach's pre-season plans have taken an immediate hit. Newly signed right-back Yukhym Konoplya is set to miss the start of the Bundesliga season after suffering an inner ligament tear in his knee during his unofficial debut for the Foals.
The 26-year-old Ukrainian international arrived at Gladbach from Shakhtar Donetsk for a reported fee between €3.5m and €4.5m. Bringing valuable Champions League and Europa League experience to the Lower Rhine, Konoplya was brought in to finally solve Gladbach's long-standing issues on the right flank. Known for his dynamic overlapping runs, sharp crossing, and relentless work rate, he was also expected to apply direct pressure on inconsistent starter Joe Scally and the more defensively minded Stefan Lainer.
However, his start in Borussia colors turned into a nightmare. Brought on during a pre-season friendly against third-division side Rot-Weiss Essen to gather his first minutes, Konoplya was forced off after just a few minutes following an awkward movement with no opponent contact. While initial fears of a complete ligament rupture were ruled out after detailed examinations by the club's medical staff, the diagnosed partial tear will keep him sidelined for several weeks—ruling him out of both the DFB-Pokal opening round and the Bundesliga kickoff.
For manager Gerardo Seoane, the timing is a massive blow. Instead of hitting the ground running with a proven international on the right side, Gladbach must now reshape their backline for the opening weeks of the campaign while hoping Konoplya's recovery stays on track.
GGFN | Dennis Brinkmann

#gladbach #league

Grêmio remains active in the transfer market with a clear objective: to find a playmaking midfielder.
In addition to looking for a right-back and a left-footed center-back, the board sees the arrival of a genuine "number 10" as the top priority, even knowing it is the most competitive and expensive position in today's market.
According to ge, this search is happening alongside the imminent departure of young Gabriel Mec.
The Tricolor gem has been drawing frequent interest from European clubs (such as Shakhtar Donetsk and Villarreal in the first half of the year), and negotiations are expected to heat up from July 20, with the official opening of the international transfer window.
However, the coaching staff stresses that signing a new midfielder has long been a priority, regardless of whether the youngster is sold or not.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, the organization’s executive board announced Tuesday.
The suspension, which had been in place since October 2023, prevented the ROC from operating as a recognized national Olympic committee and receiving funding from the IOC. Just 32 athletes from Russia and Belarus competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics as individual neutral athletes.
The ROC’s suspension was due to its recognition of regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, including Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. The IOC said “following a thorough ***** ysis by the IOC’s Legal Affairs Commission,” it determined the ROC no longer includes sports organizations from those territories and has pledged not to conduct activities there. The governing body said it will continue monitoring the ROC and could impose additional measures if necessary.
The decision was made in part because the qualification periods opened for both the LA28 Olympic Games and the Dolomiti Valtellina 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games. The IOC in the announcement said it considered “the need to offer equal access to these competitions to all athletes.”
LA28 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

July 3 (Reuters) - Russia's military told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday that its forces had taken control of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine, a key locality whose capture Moscow has long sought in its advance through the ‌Donetsk region.
Putin, shown in videos visiting a command post and receiving a report from top commanders, praised the city's ‌capture as an important strategic achievement.
He also said Russian forces had to increase the scale of security zones in response to intensified Ukrainian long-range strikes, mainly against Russia's oil industry.
Ukraine made no comment on Russia's claim to have seized Kostiantynivka.
General Valery Gerasimov, chief of Russia's General Staff, announced the city's capture in a report on the conduct of the war, now in its fifth year.

Santos has already defined its main strategy for the next transfer window: to negotiate players from the current squad.
According to ge, the black-and-white club’s board aims to secure financial relief to get the accounts in order and, with stronger cash flow, enter the market in search of new additions to strengthen the squad for the rest of the season.
Check below the information gathered by the website for Peixe’s transfer window.
The move mirrors the tactic adopted in the last two transfer windows. Marcelo Teixeira’s management aims to complete deals that reach the same financial level as the last two major departures from Vila Belmiro:
Luca Meirelles: The forward was transferred in the middle of last year to Shakhtar Donetsk, of Ukraine, for 12 million euros (around R$70.7 million at the current exchange rate).

We asked for your views on which players boss Roberto de Zerbi has worked with before you would like to see Tottenham target as the club look to close a deal for Jan Paul van Hecke, his former defender at Brighton.
Here are some of your comments:
David: I like the idea of a chunk of our defence being from the Netherlands. So yes to Van Hecke and Bart Verbruggen to complement Micky van de Ven. I remember a time not long ago when our Belgian duo, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, secured our backline and that worked out great. And if Roberto already knows them, so much the better.
Atul: Tottenham need strengthening all over the pitch and if he rates his former players, then yes, he should go for them.
Christopher: I have always been an admirer of Kaoru Mitoma and have desired for Tottenham to sign him long before Mr De Zerbi came along. In my opinion, **** anese players are hugely underrated and the traditionally 'bigger' clubs not coming in for them (like Maeda Daizen at Celtic) is strange. And, unlike players from Marseille, Shakhtar Donetsk and Mr De Zerbi's Italian clubs, Mitoma not only has Premier League experience but five years of it. He would top of my list.

Exclusive drone footage shows devastated Ukrainian town almost encircled by Russian forces

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Exclusive drone footage obtained by The **** ociated Press on Wednesday shows a devastated Ukrainian town nearly encircled by Russian forces near the city that Moscow this week claimed to now control.
Barely a street appears to be untouched in Myrnohrad in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, 12 kilometers (7 miles) from the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk. Some destruction is so fresh that smoke was still rising in the footage shot in the past few days.
“They are trying to simply er