The Center, together with the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, continues to expose Russian athletes, esportsmen and sports officials who support Russia’s war against Ukraine.

A new group of Russian sports figures who publicly support the actions of the Russian authorities, collect aid for Russian troops in Ukraine, and remain members of the global sports community—even holding positions in the governing bodies of international federations—has been published on the War & Sanctions portal in the “Champions of terror” section.

Among them:
Pavel Bure – a Russian hockey player and a close associate of Putin, having repeatedly supported him in elections and even playing alongside him in the same hockey trio. Despite his ties to the Russian president, Bure remains a member of the Council of the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Magomed Kadyrov – Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Chechen Republic, is also the organizer of weightlifting tournaments and, notably, the uncle of Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic.

Maryana Naumova – a Russian powerlifting champion, is known for her vocal support of Putin and her trips to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine as a military correspondent after completing courses with the Wagner PMC.

Dmitry Smith – co-founder and president of the Russian Esports Federation (RESF). Under his leadership, the RESF initiated the creation of special military units for esports players, allowing them to join the Russian Armed Forces as UAV operators and specialists in other advanced combat systems. Smith manages the RESF’s collaboration with the Russian authorities while also representing Russia in the International Esports Federation (IESF).

Emin Antonyan – a former president of the RESF and and IESF board member, is linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.

Yaroslav Kuznetsov – an esports player who sent messages of support to Russian military units in Ukraine during a livestream and continues to participate in international esports events.

Ivan Moskalenko – an esports player and former member of the Russian Virtus.pro team who was expelled after drawing the letter “Z” in a game. Despite this, he continues to compete for teams based in the United Kingdom and India.

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, the Center for Countering Disinformation, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports once again call for the suspension of Russian athletes from international competitions, including those competing under a neutral flag, the expulsion of Russians from international sports organizations, and the termination of all cooperation with them.