Semak was born in the village of Sychanske, Voroshilovgrad Oblast into a peasant family of modest economical background.

[citation needed] At Rubin Kazan he became the captain and leader of the team, and led it to its first two championship titles in 2008 and 2009.

[8] Semak made his international debut for the Russia national team in 1997 and took part in the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Semak captained the Russia national team in their first Euro 2008 warm-up friendly against Kazakhstan, and during the rest of the campaign.

[citation needed] Semak had a good performance in the crucial match against Greece and provided an assist for the only goal Russia scored with a skilled bicycle kick pass from a wide angle.

Another notable performance in Euro 2008 came in the quarter-finals during which he was playing his 50th game for his country, when his precise left-wing cross was volleyed in by Roman Pavlyuchenko against the Netherlands.

[citation needed] After his retirement, Semak was named as assistant coach of Zenit Saint Petersburg.

[10] On 29 May 2018, he returned to Zenit St. Petersburg, signing a two-year contract with one-year extension option.