Russian & Belorussian Athletes' Work Visas Remain Attainable Amidst International Tensions
Despite heightened tension due to the Russian government's aggression in Ukraine, Russian & Belorussian athletes are still able to acquire work visas despite the hurdles put into effect. These hurdles have still made relocating to the US & Canada difficult, as there are no direct flights from Russia permitted. A measure of the sanctions put in place over the Russian invasion. As a result, Russians are forced to get creative in their travel arrangements.
The consequences in the sporting world over the conflict include the CHL banning Russian/Belorussian imports, Wimbledon banning participants, etc. & have been a point of controversy. That being the case, one might think work & travel visas might be difficult to attain. However, player agent Dan Milstein -- a Ukrainian American -- spoke recently on the matter of acquiring a visa, and he said it is a process that is slower as a result of heightened tensions but still fluid. He named Vasily Podkolzin & Andrei Kuzmenko as two examples of players who require specific work visas & permits, and he notes that even amidst all the sanctions, Russian players are still able to attain their proper paperwork for the upcoming season.
Though it is an area of controversy, the idea of holding young athletes accountable for actions of their government is as pointless as it is misguided. Not to undersell the significance of the events facing Eastern Europe at this moment in time, but this is not about that & that is not about this. Plus, limiting Russian/Belorussians' options to Russian & Belarus falls right in line with the wishes of the two governments. And if one was interested in weakening the position of their counterpart, they would actually do the opposite of what their counterpart wanted. Which, in this case, would be incentivizing Russian/Belorussian athletes to come to North America.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 4 | 146 ANSWERS Russian & Belorussian Athletes' Work Visas Remain Attainable Amidst International Tensions Should North American governments make it easier or harder for Russian/Belorussian athletes to move here? | ||
| Should make it easier | 60 | 41.1 % |
| Should make it harder | 40 | 27.4 % |
| Should outright ban them | 46 | 31.5 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 6, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Martinook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||