Russia sponsors futsal tournament in Serbia, team from Northern Mitrovica also participating

At the Kovilovo Sports Center in Serbia, the so-called “International Friendship Cup in Futsal” was opened on Monday, a tournament supported by Russian institutions and featuring eight youth teams from Russia, Serbia, and Republika Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Now in its fourth edition since 2023, the tournament aims, according to the organizers, to promote cooperation, communication, and friendship among young people through sport.

This year’s edition includes the teams Vojvodina, Guča, Mladost Apatin, Zaječar, a team from northern Kosovo (North Mitrovica), as well as a team from Republika Srpska.

Meanwhile, the Shakhtyor team from Donetsk is participating for the first time in a sporting event held in Serbia.

At the opening ceremony, Aleksandar Voloshin, a member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, stated that the future of relations between states lies in the hands of younger generations, encouraging participants to use the tournament as a platform for building friendships and strengthening cooperation.

At the same time, Aleksandar Konanihin, Minister-Counselor at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Serbia, highlighted the historical ties between Serbia and the Donbas region, emphasizing the preservation of shared traditions and values.

The tournament is organized by the charitable foundation “Holy Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul,” in cooperation with the Directorate of the World Youth Festival, with the support of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs “Rosmolodezh” and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

The director of the organizing foundation, Miloš Tanasković, said the tournament has seen continuous growth since its first edition, stressing that its primary goal remains the creation of friendships among young people from different regions.

“We are fighting here for companionship — may friendship win,” he said.

A brief history of Donbas

In 2014, following protests in Ukraine and Russia’s annexation of Crimea, an armed conflict erupted in the Donbas between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists backed by Moscow. The so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “Luhansk People’s Republic” were proclaimed, entities that are not internationally recognized.

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Donbas became one of the main epicenters of the war, resulting in severe humanitarian consequences, widespread destruction, and large-scale displacement of the civilian population.

Ukraine’s refusal to withdraw its forces from the parts of Donbas it still controls remains a major obstacle to progress in negotiations aimed at reaching a peace agreement with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

For Ukraine, the parts of Donbas under its control are essential, if not even more important than other regions./TheGeoPost.