Russian Sports Minister denies involvement in athlete mobilization

Rumors have been flying through Russia claiming the Russian Ministry of Sports will be aiding in the effort to have athletes fulfill military duties. This coming after Vladimir Putin mobilized 300,000 troops two weeks ago. Last week, Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said it should be an honor for any Russian to serve his country, but this week, Matytsin is claiming every person has the right to choose whether or not to serve.

“The Ministry of Sports does not officially know anything about this, they learned about it from the media,” Matytsin told Russia’s official state news agency TASS. “Everyone has the right to choose, whether it be an athlete, a railway worker or a driver. If he is ready to volunteer to defend the country, then honor and praise be to him. We are not forming squads of professional athletes. I think that everyone at this moment should do their job as conscientiously as possible.”

Matytsin had also said athletes would not receive any kind of exception to not report for duty, but said even athletes should feel proud to serve in Putin’s military operation. Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov agrees with Matytsin also saying he believes athletes should be honored to be called upon to fight.

Around 300,000 troops were called upon to join the army and continue the invasion of Ukraine, including athletes and coaches. A few athletes who have been confirmed to have received papers to report for duty are European figure skating gold-medalist Dmitri Aliev and ex-international soccer player Diniyar Bilyaletdinov. Russian Cycling Federation President Vyacheslev Ekimov confirmed three cyclists as well as a coach have received orders, but did not reveal their names.

With the mobilization of troops, Putin has now “claimed” the four Ukrainian territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, but the United Nations General Assembly has strongly condemned Putin’s actions and have voted against his claiming of the land.

With the war seemingly being far from over, it will be interesting to see how many Russian athletes end up serving in the Russian army during this war and what their punishment will be should they not report.