Former Russian national soccer team player Andrey Solomatin has announced that he has signed a new military contract to fight against Ukraine. Solomatin, who previously played for clubs such as CSKA and Lokomotiv and represented the Russian national team in 13 matches including the 2002 World Cup, told Russian propaganda media about his redeployment.
According to Solomatin, he initially began fighting in the war in August 2023 as part of the “Española” unit before later running a charitable foundation. Under his new contract, the 51-year-old has joined a combat unit within the 55th Marine Division’s Bars-22 “Tiger” detachment, following former comrades who also joined the group.
Solomatin stated that his primary role will be operating within a mobile fire group. He noted that the detachment includes a countermeasures company as well as a company tasked with directly combating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on the front lines, alongside temporary observation posts in key strategic areas. He added that the personnel, largely from Primorye, have operated across several sectors including Donetsk, Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, and currently Zaporizhzhia.
