Aleksei Bugayev: Euro 2004 star dies in Ukraine-Russia conflict - and his body cannot be recovered

The family of Aleksei Bugayev, who previously representer Russia internationally at the 2004 Euros in Portugal, confirmed on Sunday (December 29) that he had died on the front lines.

Speaking to Tass, his father Ivan said: “Unfortunately, the news of Aleksei’s death is true. It happened today.” Bugayev was 43 at the time of his death.

Despite limited appearances for his national team, Bugayev was a recognisable player in the Russian Premier League, having played for the likes of Lokomotiv and Torpedo Moscow. At the 2004 Euros, Russia were drawn in Group A alongside the hosts, so Bugayev got the chance to play against the likes of Luis Figo, Rui Costa, and a young starlet called Cristiano Ronaldo.

His career was sadly cut short, with Bugayev retiring at the age of 29 while playing for FC Krasnodar.

The former footballer joined the military after a run-in with the law. In September 2023, he was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison for drug trafficking. While serving his prison sentence, Bugayev declared his intention to join the army instead of spending his time behind bars.

Bugayev’s agent, Anton Smirnov, has told Russian media that the family cannot get his body back, with the intense fighting between Russia and Ukraine making it “impossible” to retrieve him. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and since then there have been widespread casualties on both sides, while 8.2m Ukrainians have fled the country - sparking the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War.