Shakhtar Donetsk are storming towards another Ukrainian Premier League title, and the numbers behind their campaign this season make for genuinely impressive reading. With 66 points accumulated from just 27 matches — a record of 20 wins, 6 draws, and only 1 defeat — the Donetsk giants are proving that even amid the extraordinary challenges facing Ukrainian football, their quality remains undeniable.
The gap between Shakhtar and the rest of the league tells its own story. Their nearest challengers, LNZ Cherkasy, sit in second place on 57 points from 28 games, meaning there’s already a 9-point cushion at the top. LNZ have been solid — 17 wins and just 5 losses — but stopping Shakhtar at this stage looks like a tall order.
Third-placed Polissya are right on LNZ’s heels with 55 points, separated only on points after recording the same number of wins. Their goal difference of +28 is respectable, though their 7 defeats in 28 games suggest a degree of inconsistency that has cost them dearly in the title race.
Perhaps the biggest underperformers relative to expectations have been Dynamo Kyiv, the historic giants of Ukrainian football who currently find themselves in fourth position with 51 points. Dynamo have scored a league-high 61 goals, but their defensive record — 33 conceded — has undermined what could have been a genuine title challenge. The gap to Shakhtar at the top is a painful 15 points.
Ukrainian Premier League Table: Shakhtar Donetsk Cement Their Dominance at the Summit
Kryvbas KR and Metalist 1925 Kharkiv are locked in a tight battle for fifth and sixth, both sitting on 47 points. Kryvbas edge ahead on goal difference, but it’s tight — and with European places potentially on the line depending on the league’s UEFA allocations, every point in the final stretch matters enormously for both clubs.
Kolos Kovalivka occupy seventh on 46 points, just a single point behind the duo above them, while Zorya in eighth on 42 points are beginning to drift away from the European conversation. Karpaty Lviv in ninth, on 38 points, will be focused primarily on securing a comfortable mid-table finish.
At the other end of the table, the situation is becoming increasingly desperate for several clubs. Veres Rivne in tenth sit on 31 points with a goal difference of -11, hovering uncomfortably close to the danger zone. Just below them, Epitsentr on 30 points and Obolon Kyiv on 28 points are both looking anxiously over their shoulders.
The bottom three make for grim reading. Kudrivka have managed only 22 points from 27 games, with 15 defeats already on their record. Rukh Vynnyky are even worse off — 21 points and a goal difference of -26 after losing 18 of their 27 matches. Their survival prospects look bleak.
The club in the most dire straits of all, however, is Oleksandria. With just 13 points from 28 games — only 2 wins all season — and a catastrophic goal difference of -36, they are effectively already playing for pride. Close behind them at the foot of the table is SK Poltava, who have conceded a staggering 71 goals in 28 matches and sit on 12 points with a goal difference of -48.
What makes this Ukrainian Premier League season so remarkable is not just the football itself, but the resilience of everyone involved in keeping the league running under wartime conditions. Shakhtar Donetsk, long displaced from their home city, continue to represent something far bigger than football — and their march towards the title is a statement that Ukrainian club football refuses to be extinguished.
