Born in Makiivka, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, Yevhen Seleznyov is a product of the Shakhtar Donetsk and the Shakhtar Makiivka academies. After being promoted to professional level in 2002, he had difficult time to secure its place in the first team and played for the club's second and third teams in lower leagues as well as the club's reserve team. His chance to distinguish himself at premiers Seleznyov gained in the winter of 2007 when he went on a one-and-a-half year loan deal to Arsenal Kyiv. Seleznyov was one of the top goal-scorers in the 2007–08 Ukrainian Premier League, having scored 17 goals in 24 games. Soon after returning to Donetsk he was called up to the Ukrainian national team.