Mykhaylo Mudryk has “passed” a polygraph examination as he asserts he “didn’t mean to do anything wrong” after testing positive for drugs earlier in the season, as stated by Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin.
The moment Palkin dropped that claim, it felt like a pivot in Mudryk's whole saga. In football, polygraphs are rare almost unheard of so when Palkin mentioned it, fans sat up and took notice. It’s not a headline-grabber; it’s a headline changer.
Mudryk has faced challenges in making the anticipated impact at the Blues since his transfer to Stamford Bridge from Shakhtar Donetsk for £89m in January 2023, registering five goals and four assists in 53 league matches.
Let’s be real, an £89m winger registering ten goal involvements in 53 games is well below expectations. Chelsea’s patience has been tested. Supporters who once drew comparisons to Hazard or Odegaard are now whispering about under-delivery and potential.
The Ukraine international was 'temporarily suspended' by the Football Association in mid-December following a standard urine test that showed an "adverse result."
That December headline smashed through the silence of the winter break. Even among transfer talk and managerial speculation, his name cut through the noise and in the worst way. Suddenly, Mudryk went from young promise to cautionary note.
Chelsea released their own statement: “Chelsea Football Club can confirm that the Football Association has recently reached out to our player Mykhailo Mudryk regarding a negative result in a standard urine test.
Not “positive,” they said “negative result.” That was a carefully chosen phrase. Chelsea’s lawyers had clearly weighed every word to stay inside the rules, yet the message remained bleak: Mudryk was in hot water.
"The club and Mykhailo both endorse The FA's testing program, and all our players, Mykhailo included, undergo regular testing."
Put another way, Chelsea are all in. They stood behind the process and Mudryk in tandem. For a club known to bury scandals, this forward-facing stance felt strikingly genuine. The football world took note.
"Mykhailo has unequivocally stated that he has never intentionally used any prohibited substances." Mykhailo and the club will collaborate with the appropriate authorities to determine the cause of the negative finding.
Here’s the thing: Mudryk did say he hadn’t intentionally taken anything, and Chelsea backed him. It’ll be them, The FA, and possibly the lab experts trying to untangle who or what caused the positive test. Was it contamination? Supplement misuse? Mislabelled pasta? Nobody knows yet.
“The club will not provide any additional comments.”
That line said more than it seemed to. Chelsea are closing ranks. No leaking. No spin. They’re giving the tournament time and space to run its course a rare show of faith in modern football.
As Mudryk addressed social media with his statement, he expressed: “This has come as a total shock since I have never intentionally used any prohibited substances or violated any regulations, and I am collaborating closely with my team to explore how this might have occurred.
On Instagram Stories that night, Mudryk’s words felt raw. No fancy filter, no PR polish just a guy clinging to reputation and career. You could hear the pain in his statement, like someone whose world stopped for reasons he can’t explain.
“I am certain that I have not made any mistakes and stay optimistic about returning to the field shortly.” I can’t disclose anything further at this time because of the process's confidentiality, but I will once I'm able to.
He struck the right tone hurt, hopeful, but bound by procedure. Fans on Twitter rallied behind the “come back strong” tone. Even rival fans couldn’t help but feel the humanity in it a young winger caught in a storm he didn’t expect.
However, Shakhtar Donetsk's CEO Palkin claims “he is not to blame for testing positive” and that Mudryk has “successfully” undergone a lie detector test regarding the matter.
Stepping into the story, Palkin became more than a CEO he became a human shield. He’s making it known that Ukraine’s pride and finances may rest on this outcome. It’s a scene more dramatic than a midfielder’s Champions League run.
Palkin informed GiveMeSport: “I have discussed the doping issue with Mudryk numerous times." He fails to comprehend how it might have occurred. He has no idea. Absolutely no clue.
Those blunt sentences? They spoke louder than any spin. Palkin is saying: the kid’s as lost as we are. He's not hiding, not dodging. It's almost an admission of truth Mudryk is bewildered, too.
His attorneys arranged for him to undergo a lie detector test, which he successfully passed. It will constitute part of the evidence indicating he didn't intentionally act improperly.
Lie detectors in football. Think about that. That’s cinematic. They’re pulling in polygraphs to say, “look, he believes what he says.” It doesn’t clear him in the eyes of The FA but it does humanize him in the court of public opinion.
“Mudryk has made it clear that he is not to blame for testing positive.” We must determine how this occurred and identify who is responsible. His attorneys are attempting to discover.
This normalizes a conversation that’s usually cloaked in legalese. Palkin is demanding answers, public answers. There’s no hiding behind bureaucratic walls this is open warfare for reputation.
“The results from the B-sample are still pending, leaving that unresolved.” No one knows what has occurred. I wish Mudryk the very best. He’s an excellent professional and a really great individual. He ought to be safeguarded.
Palkin signed that off like a friend, not a CEO. There was sympathy, urgency, and a plea not for pity, but fairness. And that feels rare in a football press release.
"Shakhtar likewise has a personal stake." His transfer to Chelsea includes bonuses tied to his performances. If he doesn’t play, it creates issues for us as we might lose €30m. Thus, Shakhtar, Chelsea, and Mudryk, we are all in the same situation. We all back Mudryk and hope he can return to playing football shortly.
One transfer fee, three stakeholders and the money only flows if Mudryk plays well. That package that once put him in the elite bracket is now looking stalled, and Shakhtar have skin in the game. That makes this more than a mud-slinging clip it’s business, war, and identity all rolled into one athlete’s career.
Regarding how Mudryk's transfer assisted war victims in Ukraine, Palkin mentioned: “Rinat Akhmetov donated €25m from the Mudryk transfer to bolster our defense against Russia and offer support to Ukrainians." He loves our country and our club. Since the onset of the war in 2022, Mr.
Akhmetov has contributed more than €315m, making it the highest donation from any private Ukrainian firms or individuals. Mr. Akhmetov establishes the atmosphere, and with his guidance, we are all united as a family, ready to fight until the very end.
Now that hits deep. Every time Mudryk took a touch in a Shakhtar jersey, that money was helping protect lives back home. Every move traced back to the bridge between football and Ukraine's battle. That’s why this saga is both ordinary and global.
Palkin went on: "Transferring Mudryk to Chelsea was an essential transaction for us." Without the Mudryk payment, I can’t comprehend how we would have resolved numerous, numerous, numerous issues.
They say money isn’t everything in football. But in this case, it was everything. That cheque wasn’t just for Mudryk’s talent it was lifelines. And now, if that cheque gets frozen because of a failed sample, whoever signed that paper is praying B-sample clears. Because lives depend on it.