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Some signings are better received by fans than others, as is well known, but it is questionable whether any new addition has been at the end of such an outpouring of anger as Dynamo Kyiv’s acquisition of Vladislav Blanuta.
The 23-year-old Moldovan-Romanian striker joined last week for €2.6m (£2.3m) from FC U Craiova and the transfer had barely been made public before it transpired that he had shared content by a Russian propagandist on TikTok, to the fans that made him pro-Putin.
“We really hope that the club ends the contract with this bastard and that he doesn’t get to wear our shirt on the pitch,” one of the leaders of the WBC ultras group says.
Dynamo have made controversial decisions in the past, including the 2020 hiring of Mircea Lucescu, who had had a successful time in charge of arch rivals Shakhtar Donetsk, but this was on another scale. Media and fans were quickly onto Blanuta’s history on social media.
In 2023, the forward shared a ranting post by Vladimir Solovyov, a Russian broadcaster who is considered by many as one of the main sources of Putin regime propaganda. Solovyov, who hosts TV and radio programmes in Russia, fiercely supports the war in Ukraine and frequently makes threatening or aggressive statements regarding other countries. In the speech reposted by Blanuta, he labelled the Moldovan authorities as “enemies of the people” and “satanist scum”.
Blanuta had also shared music from a Russian TV series called Brigada, which has been banned in Ukraine since 2015 because some of its actors are seen as being part of the Russian propaganda machine. There had been reports in the Romanian press that the player wanted a move to a Russian club and that it was only stopped by the FC U Craiova president.
Dynamo Kyiv have since tried to defend the signing as the club’s press officer, Andriy Shakhov, says: “We sold Vladyslav Vanat to Girona on 1 September and urgently needed to find a new striker to replace him. It must be understood that it’s not easy to persuade foreign players to come to Ukraine during the war. A lot of footballers refuse to continue negotiations after seeing that our cities are bombed by the Russians.
“Blanuta became an option because he is a young and talented forward. We didn’t have enough time to check all his background because the schedule was very tight. The Uefa deadline for the Conference League squads was on 3 September. We managed to send the necessary papers just one minute before the deadlines passed.”
Shakhov says that Blanuta had promised he had never held any pro-Russian views. “The Solovyov video he reposted was about Moldova and Blanuta says he didn’t know who Solovyov was and was shocked when he discovered the facts,” says Shakhov. “The reposts from 2023 were a mistake and he fully acknowledged that. He also said that he had never wanted to sign for a Russian club and that his dream has always been to play for Dynamo Kyiv.”
The club have released the first interview with Blanuta, in which he says: “I want to show Dynamo fans that I share their views on the war. Russia is the aggressor and I want to state clearly that I don’t support them. I have never said anything against Ukraine. It was my mistake to repost certain things. I didn’t know who those people were or their role in Russian propaganda. I am completely pro-European and pro-Ukrainian.” He also offersto meet every Dynamo fan in person to explain himself.
The club’s fans, however, are not convinced. “Words are not enough,” says Oleksandr Popov, the editor of a popular Dynamo Kyiv fan website. “We need to see actions that would prove that he is sincere. It would be a good idea if Blanuta donates his first monthly salary to the Ukrainian army.”
Another Dynamo Kyiv fan, Oleksii Matskevych, says: “A while back he was reposting a Russian propagandist on TikTok and now he suddenly claims he is with us and says: ‘Glory to Ukraine’. That is bizarre. Dynamo’s attempts to fix the situation look tragicomic. The fact they think someone will believe that is in itself a clear sign of the club’s lack of professionalism. The management is stuck in the past and the way the club operates is deeply flawed.”
It is a crisis that has the potential to grow even bigger, as the Tribuna journalist Kostia Varvaryk says: “Dynamo president Ihor Surkis has a history for not minding the opinion of supporters. For him, a short explanation is enough for Blanuta to play for Dynamo. Supporters have limited influence on the club, especially now that many of the ultras members are fighting on the frontlines.”
The fans are not about to mellow their stance against the club. “I am active in the military with a Dynamo symbol tattooed on my chest”, fan Vladyslav Dunaienko says. “For me and my friends, Dynamo is not just a football club. It’s part of our lives. I went into battle with a Dynamo badge on my body. Quality of play is less important than the ideas and principles the club must stand for. I won’t agree with the fact that such a player would be part of my club.”
