In wartime Ukraine, soccer fans bury rivalries and find a moment of calm at matches

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — At soccer games in Ukraine, crowd sizes are determined by the capacity of the nearest bomb shelter.

For the first time since the full-scale war began in 2022, the Ukrainian Premier League is holding a full season with fans present, as martial-law bans on public gatherings have been eased.

Despite the constant threat of airstrikes, Dynamo Kyiv supporters eagerly snap up the 1,700 tickets available for each home game at the 16,000-seat Valeriy Lobanovskyi Stadium. Many fans are keen to experience a rare moment of calm, free from the country’s traditionally intense sporting rivalries.

While the war forced Dynamo to relocate its home matches in the Europa League to Hamburg, Germany, it uses its home stadium in Kyiv for domestic league matches.

Vitalii Kozubra brought his 9-year-old son Makar to watch Dynamo, a title contender, face mid-table Zorya Luhansk, a club displaced by Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine.

“Even though there’s a war going on, this is something people can enjoy together,” Kozubra said, noting the friendly atmosphere at the stadium, where Zorya fans mingled with locals.

Makar marveled at the difference between watching a game in person and on television.

As the players took the field, all 22 of them draped in Ukrainian yellow-and-blue flags, the crowd, which included servicemen and families with children, erupted in applause.

The stadium was alive with the sound of players’ exertion and the thud of the ball. Children rushed to the touchline for autographs, drawn by the few foreign players from Brazil, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Panama who have chosen to remain despite the war.

Zorya wasn’t booed once.

Ukraine’s 16-team top-flight league has managed to continue, despite increasing challenges. Matches are scheduled for early afternoon due to frequent power outages and the logistical challenges of travelling across Europe’s second-largest country during war.

When air raid sirens interrupt play – sometimes for hours – players and fans alike head to shelters as alarms blare from loudspeakers and thousands of mobile phones.

“This season, we’ve been lucky in Kyiv, with no air alarms during our home games,” said Dynamo club spokesman Andrii Shakhov. “But it’s a different story for away games... The longest one we had lasted 4½ hours because of four air alarms.”

Ukrainian soccer players are subject to the draft at age 25 but clubs can apply for exemptions under business protection rules. Two teams currently play permanently outside their home field due to the war, amid broader disruption, while two others withdrew after fighting started due to stadium damage.

The country's soccer tradition dates back to its Soviet past, when it was a soccer powerhouse, producing top-tier players and coaches. In the 1980s, fan movements often became expressions of Ukrainian identity, defying Soviet authority.

After Ukraine declared independence in 1991, soccer continued to be a source of national pride through years of political and financial turmoil. Ukraine reached the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup and co-hosted the 2012 European Championships.

At home, supporters’ groups have set aside violent rivalries for more than a decade, ever since they united to back protesters during the deadly 2013-14 uprisings against Russian influence. Later, they organized military recruitment drives to fight in the ensuing wars.

“Dexter,” a red-bearded Dynamo supporter and civilian contractor for the military, explained why the truce among rival fan groups still holds.

“It became necessary because we needed to unite against a common enemy. These internal conflicts lost their relevance when people from rival fan groups ended up fighting together in the same military units,” he said, while walking his dog along the banks of the Dnipro River.

He added that fan organizations are involved in nearly every aspect of the war effort, from active combat duty to fundraising, veteran support, and providing technical skills like computer programming to the military.

He and others serving in or working alongside the armed forces spoke on the condition that they be identified only by their call signs in keeping with Ukrainian military protocol.

Dynamo officials estimate that more than 80% of their pre-2022 fanbase is now serving on the front lines in eastern Ukraine or performing other military duties.

Eight hours east of Kyiv, in the Kharkiv region bordering Russia, servicemen from the 3rd Assault Brigade played a match on a field near bombed-out buildings. Many of these fighters had been recruited through soccer-related channels and acquaintances.

“Organized fans play a huge role in this war because they’re highly motivated,” said a serviceman with the call sign “Shtahet,” a Dynamo supporter currently on deployment.

Combat medic “Poltava” noted that soccer remains a vital morale booster.

“We get together whenever we can and rent spaces to play,” he said. “There’s not much entertainment here, so football is our only joy.”

Back in Kyiv, Dynamo fan “Escobar” was grateful to catch a game while home on leave before heading back to the front.

“This is football, it’s a game,” the soldier said, in uniform and wearing a camouflage bucket hat, after Dynamo’s 2-0 win over Zorya. “There are no bad feelings between the teams, and it’s great to see such a friendly atmosphere.”

Vitaliy Buyalskyi and Maksym Braharu scored second-half goals for Dynamo, and even though Zorya players looked dejected as they walked off the field, they were still applauded by the fans.

Dmytro Zhyhinas and Evgeniy Maloletka in Kyiv contributed.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukrainian serviceman of Azov Brigade, also known by the call sign "Escobar", center left, celebrates a goal of Dynamo Kyiv during a soccer match with Zorya Luhansk in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian serviceman known by the call sign "Shtahet" of the 3rd assault brigade trains to fire by his rifle at the polygon in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Thursday Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Mykola Shparenko of Dynamo Kyiv celebrates his goal with teammates during a soccer match with Zorya Luhansk in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Vitalii Buyalskiy of Dynamo Kyiv and Oleksiy Khakhliyov of Zorya Luhansk, top, compete for the ball as they play a soccer match of Ukrainian Premier League in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian servicemen of 3rd assault brigade play soccer in Izium, Ukraine, Thursday Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian servicemen of 3rd assault brigade play soccer in Izium, Ukraine, Thursday Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Christian Bilovar of Dynamo Kyiv watches as Benito of Zorya Luhansk, center, clears the ball during a soccer match of Ukrainian Premier League in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Mykola Mykhailenko of Dynamo Kyiv and Petar Michin of Zorya Luhansk, bottom, in action during a soccer match of Ukrainian Premier League in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian serviceman known by the call sign "Ball" of the 3rd assault brigade sits on a bed not far from the frontline in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Sunday Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian serviceman known by the call sign "Tankist" of the 3rd assault brigade stands in a room of a house not far from the frontline in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Sunday Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian servicemen of the 3rd assault brigade play soccer in Izium, Ukraine, Thursday Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian serviceman and Dynamo fan leader Oleksiy also known by call sign "Dexter" posses for photograph in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Young fans urge players to sign autographs after a soccer match of Dynamo Kyiv and Zorya Luhansk in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Mykola Mykhailenko of Dynamo Kyiv, clears the ball as Ihor Kiriukhantsev of Zorya Luhansk closes in during a soccer match of Ukrainian Premier League in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Soccer players of Dynamo Kyiv and Zorya Luhansk great each other before game of Ukrainian Premier League in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

NEW YORK (AP) — Uncertainty reins entering the final full week of the 2024 campaign with Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump locked in a fiercely competitive presidential contest. What happens in the coming days will be pivotal in deciding the winner.

Here's what we're watching this week:

U.S. presidential elections are rarely shaped by foreign affairs, but the wars in the Middle East are escalating at the very moment that millions of voters are preparing to cast ballots.

It's still unclear how Iran would respond to Israel's unusually public airstrikes across Iran on Friday. The answer could determine whether the region spirals further toward all-out war or holds steady at an already devastating and destabilizing level of violence.

Iran's response could also determine the extent to which the Middle East conflict shapes the U.S. election.

The issue has been especially difficult for Harris to navigate as she simultaneously vows to support Israel and offers empathy for those tens of thousands of Palestinians killed by Israel's response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. The Democratic vice president continues to face intense pressure from her party's progressive base, which has been extremely critical of Israel.

Trump has been unapologetically supportive of Israel, although some Arab American leaders — especially in swing-state Michigan — have been unusually supportive of the Republican former president, who famously banned travel from many Muslim countries during his first term.

Even in a best-case scenario, the next president will inherit one of the most volatile foreign policy challenges in decades.

It would be an understatement to describe Democrats as anxious as Election Day looms. But there was a deliberate effort by Harris' senior team over the weekend to project optimism to help temper the fear.

Harris senior adviser Jenn O'Malley Dillon predicted victory on MSNBC on Sunday: “We are confident we’re going to win this thing,” she said. “We’re seeing extraordinary enthusiasm. This is going to be a close race, and our campaign is exactly where we want to be.”

Harris will try to alleviate Democratic anxiety further on Tuesday when she delivers her “closing argument” at the Ellipse, the same spot near the White House where Trump spoke on Jan. 6, 2021 shortly before his supporters attacked the Capitol.

Harris is expected to focus her remarks on the danger Trump poses to U.S. democracy. She has called her Republican rival “a fascist” in recent days. And she’s been joined by an unlikely ally, Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly, who has also described Trump as a fascist recently.

But she's expected to hit broader themes as well, encouraging voters to look behind her at the White House and imagine who will be sitting at the Resolute Desk at a moment of great consequence. She's aiming to drive home the stakes of the Nov. 5 election for undecided voters — especially moderate Republicans who may be uncomfortable with Trump's divisive leadership and extreme rhetoric. And while Harris' team is betting that there is a significant number of moderates who can still be persuaded, progressive Democrats are worried she's not focused enough on economic issues in the campaign's closing days.

Democratic anxiety, we have learned, may be a fact of life.

Even before the week began, Trump's campaign risked being knocked off course by controversy. A rally at New York City's Madison Square Garden late Sunday that was meant to serve as a closing message was instead overshadowed by racist insults, including a comedian who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage."

And with eight days to go until Election Day, history suggests Trump is virtually guaranteed to say or do something else controversial in the final stretch. The only question is whether it will break through.

If there's one thing we know, it's that Trump cannot help himself. He's been using authoritarian-style rhetoric in recent days to suggest that his Democratic opponents, whom he calls “ the enemy within," are more dangerous to the nation than the threat posed by Russia and China.

Democrats will be combing through every Trump interview and public appearance for something similar to exploit. There are also multiple ongoing criminal investigations into Trump, who has already been convicted of 34 felony charges, that could reveal new information.

Yet Democrats are the first to admit that voter opinions of Trump is so hardened that it would take something truly stunning to change the course of the election.

There is precedent for a final-week stunner, however. Remember, it was Oct. 28, 2016 when former FBI Director James Comey sent a letter to Congress indicating that federal investigators learned of new emails pertinent to the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.

The candidates' evolving travel schedules will tell us much about the battlegrounds that will matter most on Election Day.

Here's what we know for sure: Harris and Trump are aggressively competing in just seven swing states that will ultimately decide the election. They are the three so-called "Blue Wall" states — Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — in addition to Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.

For a political perspective, however, not every one of the seven is created equal.

Harris spent Sunday in Pennsylvania, which may be the election's biggest prize. Harris is next scheduled to go to Michigan. And after Tuesday's closing argument in Washington, she plans to visit North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Wednesday alone. She heads to Nevada and Arizona on Thursday.

What do we know about Trump's schedule? He's booked to host at least one rally every day next week: Monday in Georgia, Tuesday in Pennsylvania, Wednesday in Wisconsin, Thursday in Nevada, Friday in Wisconsin again and Saturday in Virginia.

But as a reminder, these schedules are likely to change based on the campaigns' intelligence on the ground.

More than 41 million votes have already been cast in the election nationwide. Democrats generally have an advantage in early voting, but so far, at least, Republicans are participating at a much higher rate than they have in the past.

The question: Will it last?

Trump, of course, has for years encouraged his supporters to cast only in-person ballots on Election Day. The practice put the GOP at a significant disadvantage. He largely reversed course in recent months as he and his party acknowledged the obvious benefit of being able to bank their votes as early as possible.

Because of the Republican participation, the early turnout was breaking records last week in swing states such as Georgia and North Carolina.

But with the GOP more focused on “election integrity” rather than a traditional get-out-the-vote operation, it's unclear whether the uptick in Republican early voting will continue. Democrats hope it won't.

History may one day decide that the most significant thing Trump said in the closing days of the 2024 election is the thing that many voters barely notice anymore: his persistent warnings that this election is rigged against him.

Indeed, as Election Day approaches, Trump is increasingly warning his supporters that he will lose on Nov. 5 only if his political opponents cheat. Such statements have no basis in fact. There was no evidence of significant voter fraud in the 2020 election, which Trump lost, and there is no evidence that Trump’s adversaries can or will rig this election against him either.

Still, Trump’s unfounded warnings make an already tense and violent election season even more fraught. And there are real threats that foreign adversaries — especially Russia, China and Iran — will meddle in the election.

At the same time, the Republican National Committee has invested tens of millions of dollars into an operation to mobilize thousands of polling place monitors, poll workers and attorneys to serve as “election integrity” watchdogs. Democrats are worried that the effort could lead to harassment of election workers and undermine trust in the vote.

Both parties are aggressively preparing for long legal battles no matter who wins.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, with Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, right, takes a selfie with patrons at a campaign stop at Famous 4th Street Delicatessen in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Supporters cheer as Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker speaks during a community rally with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at the Alan Horwitz "Sixth Man" Center, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Supporters of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump hold up flags during a Trump rally in Northbrook, Ill., Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz greets members of the crowd at a Harris-Walz campaign's "Fighting for Reproductive Freedom" bus tour stop and canvass kick-off event outside their campaign office in Henderson, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a community rally at the Alan Horwitz "Sixth Man" Center, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a community rally at the Alan Horwitz "Sixth Man" Center, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump wave at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

This combination of file photos shows Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, speaking at at a town hall on Oct. 20, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa., and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, speaking at a campaign rally on Oct. 14, 2024, Erie, Pa. (AP Photo)