Servicemen of “Kiev 12” military defence battalion react as they take part in a welcoming ceremony in central Ukrainian capital Kiev December 6, 2014. Servicemen of the battalion returned to Kiev after taking part in fighting in eastern Ukraine. (Photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters)

Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city, and as in the whole country sports are taken seriously. The most popular sport is football. In 2012 in Kharkiv will pass European Football Championship.

Artist Jeff Koons sculpture Balloon Monkey (Magenta), 2006-13, with an estimate of £6,000,000-10,000,000 on display in St James's Square, London, before being sold by Christie's to raise funds for humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Picture date: Tuesday June 14, 2022. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)

Women's Sabre Gold medalist Olga Kharlan (L) and bronze medalist in the Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling Zhan Beleniuk (R) react as they arrive at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, 13 August 2024. Ukrainians meet and greet the members of National Olympic team as they return from Olympic Games 2024 in Paris amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA/EFE)

People jump over a campfire during a celebration on the traditional Ivana Kupala (Ivan the Bather) holiday, the ancient tradition, originating from pagan times, is usually marked with grand overnight festivities during which people sing and dance around campfires, believing it will purge them of their sins and make them healthier, in Kiev, Ukraine, July 6, 2016. (Photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters)

Deputies of the opposition fight with deputies of the majority for a second time in two days, during the second session of the newly elected Ukrainian parliament in Kiev on December 13, 2012. (Photo by Sergei Supinsky/AFP Photo)

A Polish girl and a boy throw water over each other on Wet Monday in Szczecin, northwestern Poland, 13 April 2020. Wet Monday is a Catholic celebration held on Easter Monday mostly in Poland, but also in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and some parts of western Ukraine. Due to the lockdown it is forbidden to celebrate this holiday in public. (Photo by Marcin Bielecki/EPA/EFE)

Darth Mykolaiovych Vader, who is dressed as the “Star Wars” character Darth Vader, poses for a picture as he dries his mask and helmet with a hairdryer in the bathroom of his apartments in Odessa, Ukraine, December 2, 2015. Darth Vader was bent on galactic domination, but his Ukrainian namesake enjoys more mundane pursuits: local politics, walking the family dog and a spot of embroidery. The Ukrainian citizen, who has changed his name to Darth Mykolaiovych Vader, ran for the post of local mayor in October, his political backers dressed as Stormtroopers. In his trademark black outfit, he is a regular sight around Odessa, a major port city on southern Ukraine's Black Sea coast. (Photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)