The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, published data on 15 Russian athletes who, despite their open support for the war and service in the Russian security forces, are applying to participate in international competitions.
Points of attention
- 15 Russian athletes, including members of CSKA and Dynamo, are exposed for supporting the war against Ukraine and representing Russian armed forces at sports venues.
- Russia utilizes international sports to promote and legitimize its occupation in Ukraine, justifying aggression through athletes who support these actions.
DIU published data on 15 Russian athletes who support the war against Ukraine
The “Champions of Terror” section of the War&Sanctions portal has published information about active servicemen of the Russian Guard, representatives of the Central Sports Club of the Russian Army (CSKA) and Dynamo, who visited the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and actually represent the Russian armed forces at sports venues.
Units of the Russian Guard are directly involved in hostilities against Ukraine, and CSKA constantly provides Russian units fighting in Ukraine with special equipment, FPV drones, generators, conducts militarized “education” of youth, and promotes war narratives abroad. Dynamo sports clubs are traditionally associated with the internal affairs and state security bodies of the Russian Federation.
Among the individuals revealed: Alexandra Sayutin, Darya Nepryaeva, Savely Korostelyov — Russian athletes, members of Russian national teams who visited temporarily occupied Crimea and received an invitation from the International Olympic Committee to the 2026 Olympic Games;
Andriy Kanchelskis is the head coach of the Bryansk football club Dynamo, which holds sports events in the occupied territories of Ukraine;
Yuriy Borodavko and other skiers of the Russian national team are active servicemen of the Russian Guard, representatives of CSKA and Dynamo, involved in visiting Crimea.
Russia systematically uses international sports as a tool of "soft power" — to spread propaganda, justify unprovoked aggression, and legalize occupation, and therefore these "athletes" have no place in world sports and should be banned from international competitions, even in "neutral" status.
