Ukrainian sanctions target Russian sports ahead of Winter Olympics

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Jan. 17 announced new sanctions against individuals and entities connected to Russian sports, saying the targets "use sports venues to spread anti-Ukrainian narratives and Russian propaganda."

The sanctions decree comes less than a month before the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, set to kick off in Milan on Feb. 6. While the Russian national team is banned from the Games, Russian athletes will be allowed to compete as  "neutral athletes" in individual events.

The sanctions target the Russian Paralympic Committee and its president, the Russian Computer Sports Federation (RESF) and its president, and a Russian boxer, Zelensky announced. The designated individuals and entities "use sports venues to spread anti-Ukrainian narratives and Russian propaganda, thus trying to justify the Russian Federation's armed aggression against Ukraine," according to the Presidential Office.

The new penalties are meant to demonstrate how Russia leverages athletics — often seen as apolitical — in state-sponsored propaganda.

"Thanks to the introduction of these sanctions, our country reminds the world before the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics that sport is not outside of politics," the Presidential Office said.

"After all, the sanctioned individuals openly support aggression, war crimes, and occupation, thus destroying the principles and values ​​of the Olympic movement."

Zelensky said Ukraine is working on additional sanctions measures while also synchronizing sanctions with international partners.

While so-called "neutral" athletes from Russia and Belarus are allowed to participate in the Olympics and other international sports competitions, many of these athletes have ties to the Kremlin or have expressed support for the war against Ukraine.

At the same time, hundreds of Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed by Russia's full-scale invasion. Hundreds of sports facilities have also been destroyed by Russian missile and drone attacks.

Despite Russia's escalating strikes, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in September 2025 opted to reinstate the membership rights of both Russia and Belarus. The Russian Paralympic Committee welcomed the decision, calling it "fair" and "an example of how athletes' rights should be protected without discrimination on national or political grounds."

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