A decade ago, Yevhen Hrytsenko was part of one of Eastern Europe’s most respected football institutions.
Today, the Ukrainian goalkeeper finds himself in southern Kyrgyzstan, helping ambitious Jogorku Liga side FC Ozgon chase a place among the country’s elite.
Between those two points lies a journey through Tajikistan, 35-hour away trips, fierce battles with Istiklol and a growing belief that Kyrgyz football may be entering its most exciting period yet.
For much of his life, football meant the orange and black of Shakhtar Donetsk.
“I stayed in the club structure until I was 27,” Hrytsenko tells Eurasia Football. “From childhood.”
For most players, academy football is only the beginning. For Hrytsenko, Shakhtar remained home for more than two decades. While many academy players come and go, the club continued to believe in the goalkeeper long after his youth-team years.
“At senior level, they gave me, roughly speaking, ten years. They could have let me go earlier, there were options, but Shakhtar always said: ‘No, we need him.'”
That patience left a lasting impression on him and still shapes how he views player development today.
It is one reason he remains optimistic about players such as Tajik winger Khusrav Toirov, who is still under contract with Shakhtar despite struggling to establish himself in the first team.
“Shakhtar are the kind of club that, if they do not like something, will terminate the contract,” he says.
“They believe until the end.”
Eventually, however, Hrytsenko’s own path would lead elsewhere.
After a brief spell in Armenia and a period away from football, an unexpected opportunity emerged in the winter of 2022.
An acquaintance contacted him from Tajikistan, Ravshan Kulob were looking for a goalkeeper.
For many players, the move might have seemed unusual. For Hrytsenko, it represented something different.
“I saw that the team would play in something like the Europa League group stage. They were also playing for the Super Cup and had finished second the previous season.
“I was interested because the team wasn’t just existing, it was fighting for something.”
Punching Above Their Weight
The move would prove one of the most important of his career.
Over the next three seasons, Hrytsenko established himself as one of Tajikistan’s leading goalkeepers and became a key figure for a Ravshan side that repeatedly challenged the country’s dominant force, Istiklol.
His personal record against the Dushanbe giants remains perfectly balanced.
“Over three years, my personal record against Istiklol was five wins and five defeats. Exactly even.”
Considering the difference in resources between the two clubs, that achievement was significant.
“In terms of resources, it was difficult to compete,” Hrytsenko explains. “Resources don’t only mean money. It’s infrastructure, logistics, food, accommodation, recovery and how much time the team has to rest.”
The goalkeeper believes those small details often made the biggest difference.
“Ravshan had a much smaller budget. Several times smaller than Istiklol’s. But from the resources we had, we squeezed out the maximum.”
That ability to overachieve became Ravshan’s identity.
Looking back, Hrytsenko believes the club consistently performed above expectations.
“If you compare the conditions and the results, every season can be considered successful.”
35-Hour Journeys Across Asia
If domestic competition tested Ravshan, AFC football pushed them even further.
The club’s continental campaigns in the AFC Champions League Two took them across Asia and exposed players to a level of travel few European footballers would recognise.
“We had AFC Champions League matches where the journey took 35 hours,” Hrytsenko recalls.
“Then you come back and a day later you’re playing in the Cup or the league.”
Those journeys became part of life.
“In the first season we got three points, in the second we got four, It wasn’t enough to qualify, but it was progress for the club.”
Ravshan came agonisingly close to reaching the knockout stages. A memorable 2-0 victory away to Qatari side Al-Wakrah left the Tajik club level on points with their opponents at the end of the group stage, ultimately missing out on qualification only on goal difference.
For a club operating with a fraction of the resources available to many of its continental rivals, it was further evidence that Ravshan could compete on the Asian stage.
Yet the toughest challenge came against Iranian powerhouse Tractor.
“At home we lost 3-1, but honestly it almost felt like a win,” Hrytsenko says. “They could have scored seven.”
The goalkeeper’s assessment was not far from reality. When the sides met again in Iran a month later, Tractor ran out 7-0 winners, underlining the gulf between one of Iran’s strongest clubs and a Ravshan side that had nevertheless come within touching distance of the knockout rounds.
For players across Central Asia, however, those matches remain invaluable.
“International matches are a showcase,” he says.
“If you perform well, people notice.”
Why Kyrgyzstan Won the Race
When Hrytsenko eventually left Ravshan, he had plenty of options.
There was interest from Iraq. Discussions with clubs in Indonesia had been ongoing for more than a year. India also emerged as a possibility.
Instead, he chose FC Ozgon, part of the reason was the club’s persistence.
“They were among the first clubs to contact me,” he says.
But another factor was the rapid development of football in Kyrgyzstan itself.
The goalkeeper had followed the league closely since arriving in Central Asia.
“We had Abdysh-Ata in our AFC group, so naturally I followed the league.”
What he saw impressed him.
“If we compare 2023, the conditions in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were more or less the same.
“Now Tajikistan has stayed roughly where it was, while Kyrgyzstan has improved noticeably.”
The improvements are visible everywhere, he believes.
“Pitches, travel, accommodation, kits, details, because of that, the level is rising.”
The Ukrainian Connection
Hrytsenko is far from the only Ukrainian to find a home in Kyrgyz football.
The Jogorku Liga now features dozens of Ukrainian players, many of whom the goalkeeper has known for years.
Having come through the Shakhtar system and spent much of his career in Ukrainian football, Hrytsenko has found no shortage of familiar faces since arriving in Kyrgyzstan.
“Of course. I’ve spoken with many of them, been in teams with some and played against others,” he says.
“There are many familiar faces here.
“I’ve known Yuriy Mate since I was about five years old. We’re from the same city and we also crossed paths at Shakhtar.”
Other familiar names include Muras United defender Ihor Honchar, current teammate Yuriy Senytskyi, Alga’s Artem Bilyi and several players he encountered during his youth and reserve-team days in Ukraine.
The growing Ukrainian presence is no coincidence.
“Ukraine is a golden place for Kyrgyz clubs,” Hrytsenko says.
He believes Ukrainian footballers offer a strong combination of technical education, experience and realistic expectations.
“They don’t ask for crazy salaries. They’re grounded and realistic.”
In return, Kyrgyzstan provides an increasingly attractive environment for players looking to continue their careers abroad.
Hrytsenko points to Alga forward Oleksiy Zinkevych as one of the best examples of how both sides can benefit.
The Ukrainian scored 16 goals in 23 league appearances for Alay Osh last season before earning a move to Alga.
“That is a case where everyone wins,” Hrytsenko says. “It is good for the club, and the player has improved, I think both in value and in salary.”
He believes several Ukrainians have now found a genuine footballing home in Kyrgyzstan.
“Zinkevych, Khomutov, Zaimenko and others. Many have found their league here.”
The connection has become so strong that some players are beginning to put down roots. Hrytsenko notes that Toktogul midfielder Yevhen Chumak has already received Kyrgyz citizenship.
“In Ukraine, we had naturalised Brazilians Edmar Galovskyi, for example,” he says. “I don’t see anything bad in it. If a player has been here for several years and the country needs someone in that position, why not?”
As for whether he could one day follow the same path himself, Hrytsenko is keeping his options open.
“Nobody has asked me. When I first came here, that wasn’t a goal.
“Theoretically, any question can be considered if there is an offer. But for now, no.”
As the league continues to develop, he expects the connection between Ukrainian and Kyrgyz football to grow even stronger.
What Kyrgyz Football Can Learn From Shakhtar
While Hrytsenko is optimistic about the future, he believes one major challenge remains.
Fan culture…
Ironically, the lessons come from his childhood in Donetsk.
“I can remember how Shakhtar worked with fans when I was a child.”
The club treated supporter engagement as a serious part of its operation.
“They created a whole department.”
Buses transported fans from towns across the region to matches. Free tickets were distributed to companies. Billboards advertised upcoming fixtures throughout the city.
Players regularly visited schools and kindergartens, held autograph sessions and organised community events.
The impact was enormous.
“Donetsk lived as one team, everyone knew when there was football.”
By comparison, Hrytsenko believes Kyrgyz football still has room to grow.
“In Kyrgyzstan, you need to explain to the fan what, when, where and why they should come.
“What will be waiting for them at the stadium.”
Still, he sees encouraging signs.
The Football Union has launched fan-focused initiatives. Clubs are beginning to introduce merchandise, giveaways and promotional campaigns.
For Hrytsenko, these are the foundations of something bigger.
“If this is not stopped and continues to develop, stadiums can be filled.”
Looking Ahead
For now, the focus remains on football.
When Hrytsenko joined Ozgon, the objective was clear: remain in the hunt for a top-three finish.
Ozgon’s strong first half of the season has naturally raised expectations. The club currently sit fifth in the league, comfortably in the top half of the table and within touching distance of the teams above them.
Earlier in the season, Hrytsenko suggested the club’s ambitions could grow if they remained near the top of the table.
“If by the end of May we are near the top, I think the management will say: ‘Guys, now we are fighting for the title.’
“And we won’t be against that.”
It is the latest chapter in a football journey that has taken him from the academy pitches of Donetsk to AFC competition across Asia and now to one of Kyrgyz football’s most promosing clubs.
And after everything he has seen, one conclusion stands out above all others.
“The level is rising.”