"We Were Still Texting Each Other At Midnight."

• 23.10.2026, 15:28

The circumstances surrounding Yuri Tsygalko's death have been revealed.

Former soccer referee Alexey Martynov shared details regarding the death of former goalkeeper and his friend Yuri Tsygalko.

News of the soccer player’s death broke on October 22. Tsygalko had previously played for Shakhtar, Minsk’s Dynamo, and Dynamo de Brest.

— On Wednesday, October 21, around 2:30 p.m., Yura suddenly felt ill while at work. An ambulance was called, and at 3:00 p.m. he was taken to the hospital.

Lately, Yura had been watching his diet, avoiding fatty and fried foods. The doctor said he had suffered an acute attack of pancreatitis. We don’t yet know the exact cause of death—an autopsy hasn’t been performed yet.

— Was he in touch from the hospital?

— I was messaging him personally at midnight. At 1 a.m., he was replying to another coworker. What happened after that is a mystery. Yura wrote that a doctor would come in the morning, examine him, and decide what to do next. According to the test results, everything seemed to be normal. We don’t yet know exactly what time he died.

— How had Yuri been feeling lately?

— Generally fine. Yes, he had occasional episodes, but he took his medication and pills regularly.

— So there were no signs foreshadowing such a sudden death?

— It was all very unexpected. No one could have predicted such a turn of events. He was naturally thin, just by his build. He ate very little, but many times a day.

He had stomach problems. When he started feeling bad, we realized that Yura needed an IV and injections. Possibly even surgery. But this is how it turned out,” Martynov is quoted as saying betting.team.