First Rasputko, now FC Krivbass: Why athletes are fleeing Ukraine
On October 15, it became known that employees of the Krivbass (Krivoy Rog) football team had not returned to Ukraine after an away game in the Women’s Champions League. Previously, Shakhtar footballer Oleksandr Rasputko also did not fly home from Europe. Why Ukrainians leave their country and where they go – in NEWS.ru material.
Which FC Krivbass employees did not return to Ukraine?
The Ukrainian women’s football club “Krivbass” lost two employees after a European tour, said journalist Sergei Bolotnikov. SMM specialist Roman Lopatin and photographer Roman Medvedev decided not to return to their homeland and left the team without permission.
According to Bolotnikov, “Krivbass” contacted the police, the Ministry of Youth and Sports and border guards. The journalist also announced the approximate date of the Krivbass employees’ escape. He explained that Lopatin and Medvedev left the team at the beginning of September, when the Ukrainians played in the Women’s Champions League games against France’s Paris (0-4) and Sweden’s Linköping (0-3).
How Ukraine reacted to the Krivbass employees’ decision to flee
YouTube users reacted to the escape of Krivbass women’s football team employees. People cited the photographer and SMM specialist’s desire to avoid mobilization as one of the main reasons for their escape.
User @andriykogut9642 expressed his opinion on the situation with the Ukrainians.
“If the borders had not been closed, if people had not been held in prison, situations like Krivbass would not have occurred,” he wrote.
User @sanya1760 called FC employees who left Ukraine “traitors.” @rostyslav962 noted in the comments: “I can understand her.”
How many athletes left Ukraine after the start of the SVO?
According to Ukrainian media, 236 Ukrainian athletes have not returned to the country since February last year. Among them are well-known football players of the country, in particular, the former midfielder of the Ukrainian national team Artem Gromov and the former Dynamo and Shakhtar football player Vladislav Kulach, basketball players Andrei Kozhemyakin and Alexander Kobets. Her whereabouts are unknown.
Where did Ukrainian footballer Rasputko go after the game in Belgium?
On October 13, Ukrainian media reported that Ukrainian Shakhtar player Alexander Rasputko did not return to his home country after the UEFA Youth League match against Antwerp, which took place in Belgium on October 4. According to the source cited in the publications, the football player checked in for a flight to Warsaw with the team, but then disappeared.
It later became known that Rasputko came to Russia. He was born in Gorlovka, Donetsk Region. He is 19 years old, the player is a defensive midfielder in the Shakhtar youth team. Over the last three seasons, the player played 13 matches for the UEFA Youth League team and did not score a single effective action.
Ukrainian media also reported that Alexander’s parents live in Donetsk and support Russia.
What Rasputko’s father said about his escape
Shakhtar-Donetsk football player Alexander Rasputko is safer in Russia than in Ukraine, his father Yuri Rasputko told Regnum. He explained that the 19-year-old athlete had not applied for political asylum in Russia.
“At the moment I cannot tell you why Sasha ran away from Shakhtar. I can say that he will definitely be safer in Russia. The information about applying for political asylum is not true. My son didn’t ask for it. He will simply apply for a Russian passport,” Rasputko Sr. said.
He added that his son would not return to Shakhtar.
Will Rasputko get a Russian passport?
Practicing lawyer Pavel Ivanov told NEWS.ru about the procedure by which a football player who left Ukraine can obtain Russian citizenship.
“This football player is not a refugee, he comes from Donbass, a territory that was part of Russia, so he can obtain citizenship quickly and in a simplified way,” the lawyer said.
He added that if this football player obtains a Russian passport and plays for a Russian club, this should not create additional problems for this team. Even if Ukraine puts him on the international wanted list, other states are unlikely to follow their example because Rasputko is not an international criminal.
How Shakhtar reacted to Rasputko’s escape
The Ukrainian Shakhtar said whether there were any prerequisites for the escape of youth player Alexander Rasputko. The club also added that the player had no contact.
“If the conditions were there, the player would have stayed in Ukraine and not gone to the Youth Champions League game. Now he is no longer in contact,” Ukrainian media quoted the Shakhtar press service as saying.
Rasputko’s contract with Shakhtar will be terminated if the player does not return to the team.
What did the State Duma say about the situation with Rasputko?
First Deputy Chairwoman of the State Duma International Affairs Committee Svetlana Zhurova noted that defender Alexander Rasputko would be supported if information about his escape to Russia was confirmed.
“I think a club will be able to take him in, they will give him support. It is clear that there must be an appropriate level of play, we have to look at where exactly it is useful,” Zhurova said.
In her opinion, the athlete most likely decided on this step by coordinating with the Russian club in advance. She recalled that during Soviet times, ice hockey players “fled to the States” when contracts had already been signed there.
“No one is just going to walk away on the bare ground. In any case, I think we will find out the details soon,” Zhurova concluded.
Source: Rambler
