Overview
- The 54-year-old collapsed during a veterans benefit in Lutsk, where on-field help and arriving medics could not revive him.
- Local reports attribute the collapse to a heart attack during the match organized to support Ukraine's armed forces.
- Polunin made 16 Bundesliga appearances and also played for 1. FC Nürnberg, FC St. Pauli, and Rot-Weiss Essen after leaving Dnipro.
- He earned nine caps for Ukraine and later worked in scouting roles, most recently with Metalist 1925 Kharkiv, which offered condolences.
- Former teammates Holger Stanislawski and André Trulsen shared condolences, and Ukraine’s veteran team posted an emotional farewell on Facebook.