The Russian invasion of Ukraine has its consequences in volleyball in numerous ways, one of which is the exodus of Ukrainian players (and not only them) from Russia and its men’s top division – one of the strongest in the world.
In addition to the displacement of the 2022 FIVB Men’s World Championships and the exclusion of Russian teams from international competitions, the careers of individual players are also affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There are many Ukrainian players involved in the Russian Men’s Championship who have terminated their contracts or simply left the clubs on their own initiatives.
The departure of the most famous Ukrainian player in the Men’s Superliga Parimatch at the moment (who even obtained Russian citizenship in 2020) Dmytro Pashytskyy attracted the most attention. His club, Zenit Saint Petersburg, announced that the middle blocker “decided to go on vacation at his own expense”. The club didn’t terminate the contract with Pashytskyy and reacted with understanding to his decision, stressing that the player has the right to stay “where he sees fit until his return to the team”. He remains a Russian citizen and hasn’t given up his Russian passport.
Yurii Synytsia, the starting setter of Yugra-Samotlor, terminated his contract with the Nizhnevartovsk side by mutual agreement. A similar decision was made earlier by the Enisey outside hitter Ian Iereshchenko and Gazprom-Yugra outside hitter Illia Kovalov.
