Former Russia footballer Aleksei Bugayev dies aged 43 fighting in Ukraine conflict Aleksei Bugayev, who played for Russia at Euro 2004, has been killed aged 43 while fighting in Ukraine.
Bugayev played the full 90 minutes of Russia’s 2-0 defeat to tournament hosts Portugal before featuring in the side’s 2-1 victory over Greece – who would go on to lift the trophy.
Despite defeating Greece, Russia failed to advance beyond the group stage and Bugayev announced his retirement from international duty the following year.
Bugayev made his first-team debut for Torpedo Moscow in 2001 and went on to represent Tom Tomsk, Lokomotiv Moscow, Khimki and Krasnodar before retiring from the game in 2010 at the age of 29.
The ex-Lokomotiv Moscow defender declared his intention to fight for Vladimir Putin’s forces after being handed a nine-and-a-half year prison sentence on drug trafficking charges in southern Russia in September.
