On the night of May 26 armed insurgents from the Donetsk Republic stormed, looted, and torched the Druzhba Arena in Donetsk.

The arena is the only professional capacity arena in the country and home to the HC Donbass hockey team, Ukraine’s top professional & international team. The gunmen stole plasma TVs, equipment, safety deposit boxes, and a company car before destroying surveillance equipment and setting the building ablaze.

The team is owned by Boris Kolesnikov, a close ally of Rinat Akhmetov and top ranking member of the Party of Regions.

The team issued a statement saying it was deeply angered by what happened and emphasized: “We call on those people who still sympathize with the rebels of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, terrorizing East Ukraine – think: Is this a “future” they want for themselves and their children?