Former Russian footballer, who played at Euro 2004, killed in Ukraine war

Aleksei Bugayev, a former member of Russia's national football team who played at Euro 2004, has been killed in the 34-month-old war in Ukraine, Russian media quoted his father and agent as saying on Sunday.

"Unfortunately, the news about Aleksei's death is true. It happened today," TASS news agency quoted the player's father Ivan Bugayev as telling the Sport24 news outlet.

RIA news agency quoted Bugayev's agent, Anton Smirnov, as saying intense fighting had made it impossible to retrieve Bugayev's body for burial.

Bugayev, dead at age 43, played two matches for the Russian national team in the 2004 European championship.

He featured in the Group A game against hosts Portugal which had big stars like Luis Figo, Rui Costa and a young Cristiano Ronaldo.

and also played for Moscow sides Torpedo and Lokomotiv as well as other provincial sides. He ended his career in 2010 at the age of 29.

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