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Ahead of International Olympic Day, Ukraine Calls Attention to 19 Detained Athletes in Russia
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Ukrainian human rights organizations are calling for increased international pressure on Russia over the detention of Ukrainian athletes, urging their immediate release ahead of International Olympic Day, marked on June 23.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, at least 19 Ukrainian athletes are currently in Russian captivity, while another 13 are considered missing. At the same time, 23 athletes have already been returned home following release.
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Human rights advocates caution that the real figures may be significantly higher. More than 92,000 Ukrainians are currently listed as missing in war-related circumstances, with some believed to be held in Russian detention either as prisoners of war or civilians. Due to Russia’s systematic withholding of information and restricted access for international monitoring bodies, the true number of detained athletes remains unknown.
Families of missing sportspeople say athletes’ physical build and public profile can increase their risk during occupation, as Russian forces may perceive them as potential military personnel or members of resistance movements.
“Oleh became one of the first targets of this aggression. He became a civilian prisoner when the world was only beginning to understand the scale of Russia’s aggression. The occupiers set a trap and abducted him because of his sporting activity, his authority in the region, and the dozens of lives he saved by evacuating people from shelling,” said Larysa Shevandina, wife of missing Donetsk regional Wushu, Kung Fu and Qigong federation president Oleh Shevandin.
Shevandin, a multiple European champion and World Cup winner in Wushu and former leading coach of Ukraine’s national team, was abducted by Russian forces at a checkpoint in his hometown of Debaltseve on May 1, 2015. His whereabouts have remained unknown for 11 years.
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Among those still held in captivity are not only civilian athletes, but also sportspeople who joined Ukraine’s defense forces following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
One such case is Artyom Kolomiiets, a candidate for master of sport in rowing and a serviceman of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade of the National Guard’s Azov brigade. A former member of Ukraine’s junior national team, he served as a combat medic during the defense of Mariupol, where he helped evacuate and treat the wounded.
Kolomiiets left the Azovstal steel plant on May 20, 2022, together with other defenders of Mariupol and has been held in Russian captivity since. According to released prisoners, he has continued to assist fellow detainees while in detention. His family says his health has deteriorated significantly due to the conditions of captivity.
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“In Russian prisons, healthy athletes are turned into people with disabilities,” his mother Larysa said.
At the same time, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) has removed all previously imposed sanctions on the senior national teams of Russia and Belarus. The decision was taken during an Executive Committee meeting and subsequently confirmed in an official statement issued by the federation.
In its June 2 statement, the FIE said that athletes from Russia and Belarus will now be permitted to compete in international competitions under their national flags and anthems.
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