End the contract': Dynamo Kyiv fan anger after signing of player who shared post by Russian propagandist

"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. Ten of the best-value deals from this summer's transfer window 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."

"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."

Dynamo Kyiv completed the 2.6m transfer of 23-year-old Moldovan-Romanian striker Vladislav Blanuta from FC U Craiova. Shortly after the move became public, fans identified past social-media posts in which Blanuta shared content from Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov and music from the banned TV series Brigada. The posts were interpreted as pro-Putin and sympathetic to Russian state narratives, provoking intense backlash from ultras and supporters demanding contract termination. Romanian reports suggested Blanuta once sought a move to a Russian club but was prevented by his former club president. Dynamo Kyiv issued a defense of the signing through the club's press officer.

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