Former first assistant to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and long-time friend of the head of state Serhiy Shefir was spotted in the stands during the UEFA Europa Conference League match between Shakhtar and the Dutch AZ, which took place on April 9, 2026, at the Wisła Stadium in Krakow. Next to Shefir was the owner of the Shakhtar football club, Rinat Akhmetov, who attended his club’s game in person for the first time in nearly 12 years.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Emotions of Victory and Shared Moments
Shakhtar’s victory with a score of 3:0 sparked emotional comments from the club’s management. In the photos and videos released during the match, it is clear to see how Shefir and Akhmetov watched the game together, supporting the Ukrainian team on the international stage.
“Football is a game. A game is emotions. And today I am happy! We won 3:0, the match was wonderful.”
The joint appearance of Serhiy Shefir and Rinat Akhmetov at the match attracted interest not only from football fans but also from the journalistic community, given the long-standing business and personal connections between the two figures.
Connections, Business, and Shefir’s Political Activities
Serhiy Shefir, along with his brother Borys, is a co-founder of the Kvartal-95 studio and a long-time business partner of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It was Shefir to whom Zelenskyy transferred his share in Kvartal-95 before the presidential elections in 2019. During the presidential campaign and after Zelenskyy’s election, Shefir actively accompanied him to political meetings, and since 2019 he held the position of first assistant to the President of Ukraine. In March 2024, Zelenskyy dismissed Shefir from this position.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s declaration for 2025, he still owns 25% of an apartment in Kyiv, co-owned by the Shefir brothers, as well as 50% of another apartment, jointly with Serhiy Shefir.
It is known that Shefir’s connections with Akhmetov have lasted for several years: as early as 2020, journalists recorded Shefir secretly visiting the businessman’s estate near Kyiv. Because of this, he was often referred to in the media as the “main communicator of the President’s Office with oligarchs.”
Serhiy Shefir’s name has also been mentioned in other high-profile cases. For instance, during the trial of former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov in the High Anti-Corruption Court, the prosecutor reported on discussions between Shefir and businessman Timur Mindich regarding the financing of bail for Chernyshov, who is suspected of abuse of office and bribery.
At the end of 2025, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced the exposure of an organized criminal group that included sitting members of parliament. One of the five suspects was Yuriy Kisiel, who, along with Shefir, was wiretapped by detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine for an extended period. According to sources in law enforcement, this caused concern for both Kisiel and his close friend Serhiy Shefir.
Additionally, in 2019 it was established that Serhiy Shefir’s son worked as an assistant to MP Yuriy Kisiel.
It is also known that, according to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, it was Serhiy Shefir who lobbied for the appointment of Herman Halushchenko, who is suspected of corruption, as Minister of Energy.
In February 2026, it became known that Serhiy Shefir had left the country. In a comment to journalists, he confirmed this information, stating: “Yes, I left for my own matters, and this is not related to the NABU investigation, and I will be in Kyiv this weekend.” He was later spotted again in Poland during a football match. When journalists inquired about the reasons for his stay in Poland, Shefir did not respond.