Canadian and American KHL players told to get out of Russia

The Canadian and US governments are telling its citizens currently in Russia to get out of the country. That includes any and all Canadians and Americans that are currently playing in the KHL. The US embassy in Moscow is telling Americans that Russia may deny their departure if they don't leave soon, and may conscript duel nationals for military service to support its invasion of Ukraine.


The difficulty with breaking a KHL contract is that players will often owe the team money in order to do so, something some of them simply aren't in a financial position to do. There are currently 44 Canadians playing for Russian and Belarussian teams in the KHL. There are also 16 Americans.

"President (Vladimir) Putin's war in Ukraine is a war on freedom, on democracy and on the rights of Ukrainians, and all people, to determine their own future," said Adrien Blanchard, press secretary for Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.


"As Canadians, these are values we hold dear. Athletes who decide to play and associate with Russia and Belarus should explain their decisions to the public."