Maksym Smiyan

Kyiv shaped him before Luhansk football did. Smiyan came through the DYuSSh-15 academy in his home city before moving into Zorya Luhansk's youth system, spending two years with the club's U19 and U21 sides before earning a place in the first-team squad in October 2021. His senior debut did not arrive until August 2022, a gap that reflected the disrupted circumstances Ukrainian football operated under at the time.

He stayed with Zorya until January 2024, when he moved to Veres Rivne on a two-year deal. The terms of the transfer were never made entirely clear, with suggestions it may have gone through for a nominal fee or none at all. What followed was a steady rise in game time at his new club: eight appearances in his first half-season, sixteen the following campaign with a goal to his name, and twenty-six in 2025/2026, in which he added a goal and two assists. He has continued to feature into the current season, with three appearances so far.

He has not been capped at any level for Ukraine, senior or youth, and his career to date has been built without major trophies or individual honours.