Ukraine Step Up EuroVolley 2026 Preparations with several changes

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Ukraine have officially stepped up their preparations for the 2026 European Championship, with the national team currently based in Tallinn, Estonia, for a training camp ahead of a busy schedule of friendly matches.

Assistant coach Agustin Briscolli confirmed that outside hitter Illia Kovalov has been left out of the squad because of health problems. Meanwhile, libero Oleksandr Boiko has replaced his younger brother, Yevhenii, in the national team setup. According to Briscolli, the experienced Boiko is currently “in perfect shape” and has therefore been brought back into the group.

There is also encouraging news regarding Timofii Poluian.
The outside hitter, who missed the entire 2026 Volleyball Nations League due to injury, has joined the training camp and is gradually returning to full rhythm following surgery on his hand. His presence gives Ukraine another important option as the team approaches the European Championship.

Speaking exclusively to volleyball.ua, Briscolli outlined the team’s preparation schedule.

“We arrived here in Tallinn, Estonia, to hold a training camp as part of our preparations for the European Championship. This week, on Tuesday the 18th, we will travel to Finland to play two friendly matches: one on August 19 behind closed doors and another official friendly on August 21 at 15:00 Finnish time. After that, we will return here to Estonia and continue our training.”

The Ukrainian coaching staff also have another international test planned for early September, when Ukraine will take part in a friendly tournament against Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia on September 3, 4 and 5 respectively.

The current squad includes setters Vitalii Shytkov, Yurii Synytsia and Serhii Yevstratov; opposite hitters Maksym Tonkonoh and Vasyl Tupchii; outside hitters Oleh Plotnytskyi, Dmytro Yanchuk, Yevhen Kisiliuk, Timofii Poluian and Oleksandr Nalozhnyi; middle blockers Maksym Drozd, Denys Veletskyi, Yurii Semeniuk, Vladyslav Shchurov and Andrii Cheleniak; and liberos Oleksandr Boiko and Yaroslav Pampushko.

For EuroVolley 2026, Ukraine will compete in Pool B alongside Poland, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Portugal and Israel. All of their group-stage matches will be played in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Ukraine will open their campaign against Israel on September 10, before facing North Macedonia on September 11 and hosts Bulgaria on September 12. After a rest day, the Ukrainians will return to the court against Portugal on September 14, before concluding the group stage with one of the biggest challenges of the pool: a meeting with Poland on September 15.

Ukraine’s EuroVolley 2026 schedule

• September 10: Israel – Ukraine, 19:00
• September 11: Ukraine – North Macedonia, 16:00
• September 12: Bulgaria – Ukraine, 19:00
• September 14: Ukraine – Portugal, 16:00
• September 15: Poland – Ukraine, 19:00

With the European Championship now just weeks away, Ukraine’s focus is shifting from recovery and preparation to competitive intensity. The return of Poluian, the inclusion of Oleksandr Boiko and the upcoming series of international friendlies will give the coaching staff valuable opportunities to assess the squad before the pressure of EuroVolley 2026 begins.

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