At Least 32 Ukrainian Athletes are Held in Russian Captivity or Missing. Global Awareness Needed

On the eve of Olympic Day, celebrated on June 23, the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), alongside the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR), calls for increased pressure on Russia over the detention of Ukrainian athletes and demands their immediate release.

According to the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, at least 19 Ukrainian athletes are currently in Russian captivity, with another 13 listed as missing. Concurrently, 23 athletes have already returned home following their release.

However, these figures may be significantly higher. Over 92,000 Ukrainians are currently registered as missing under special circumstances. A portion of them is being held in Russian captivity — both as prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian hostages. Due to Russia’s systemic concealment of information regarding detention sites and its refusal to grant access to international organizations, establishing the actual number of athletes in captivity remains impossible.

Relatives of the athletes note that an athletic build often becomes an additional risk factor during an occupation. Russian military forces frequently perceive such individuals as potential service members or participants in the resistance movement.

“I am appealing to everyone whose heart is breaking from waiting. I know your pain because I have been living in it for 11 years. Oleg became one of the first targets of this aggression. He became a civilian hostage when the world was only beginning to realize the scale of Russian aggression. The occupiers set a trap and abducted him for his sporting activities, his authority in the region, and for the dozens of lives he saved by evacuating them from under fire. He has been held in complete isolation — incommunicado — for 11 long years simply because he remained faithful to Ukraine and did not betray either the athletes or the residents of his hometown,” said Larysa Shevandina, wife of the missing President of the Wushu, Kung Fu, and Qigong Federation of Donetsk Oblast, Oleg Shevandin.

Oleg Shevandin — a multiple European champion, Wushu World Cup holder, and a leading coach of the national team of Ukraine — was abducted by Russian military personnel at a checkpoint in his native Debaltseve on May 1, 2015. For 11 years, his wife has not known his whereabouts.

Among those held in captivity today are not only civilian athletes but also sports professionals who stepped up to defend Ukraine following the start of the full-scale invasion.

One of them is Artem Kolomiiets, a candidate for Master of Sports in rowing and a serviceman of the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine. He competed as part of Ukraine’s junior national team and, after February 24, 2022, served as a combat medic in Mariupol, treating the wounded. On May 20, 2022, Artem, alongside other defenders of Mariupol, evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant.

Since then, he has been held in Russian captivity. According to released prisoners, Artem continues to help other captives even in confinement. However, he requires urgent assistance himself: due to the conditions of his detention, the athlete has developed severe medical conditions that pose a threat to his life.

“In Russian torture chambers, healthy athletes are turned into people with disabilities,” says his mother, Larysa.

While Russia campaigns for its return to international sports, Ukrainian athletes are being held in places of detention for years. People who should be stepping onto global arenas and competing for medals are instead forced to fight for their very lives.

The Center for Civil Liberties and the Media Initiative for Human Rights urge journalists and all concerned individuals to make visible to the world the stories of Ukrainian athletes held in Russian captivity or listed as missing.

Using the links provided, you can find the athletes’ stories, sample social media posts, illustrations, and other materials in Ukrainian and English.

We also appeal to the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, national sports federations, and other sporting institutions to amplify Ukraine’s voice on the international stage and systematically raise the issue of Ukrainian athletes held in captivity by Russia or missing.

For additional information, comments, and interview requests, please contact:

• Anna Trushova, Media Relations Manager at the Center for Civil Liberties. Tel: +380 98 088 36 22. E-mail: anna.trushova@ccl.org.ua
• Anastasiia Loza, External Communications Manager at the Media Initiative for Human Rights. Tel: +380 93 832 19 48. E-mail: a.loza@mipl.org.ua