Russian hockey star drops lawsuit in military service row
Russian ice hockey player Ivan Fedotov will not challenge the decision to call him up for military service, a court has announced, after the goaltender was detained earlier this year on suspicion of trying evade his duties.
The Vsevolozhsk City Court outside St. Petersburg revealed the developments in the case on Tuesday.
“The plaintiff has abandoned the claim, filed a petition, and the refusal was accepted by the court. The session was held in the absence of the parties,” said judge Natalia Korableva, as quoted by TASS.
The official added that the court could now terminate the case in full or the “relevant” part concerning Fedotov’s protests against his conscription.
“Repeated appeal in a dispute between the same parties on the same subject on the same grounds is not allowed,” Korableva said.
“The ruling can be appealed with the Leningrad Regional Court within 15 days by filing a private complaint through the Vsevolozhsk City Court.”
Fedotov was detained on July 1 in St. Petersburg on suspicion of evading military service.
He was later transferred to the north of Russia, where he was last reported as undergoing training in the Archangelsk region.
The 25-year-old’s case emerged after he left Russian team CSKA Moscow and was due to move to the NHL, where he had signed a one-year entry-level deal with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Fedotov helped CSKA to the Gagarin Cup title last season – which is the KHL’s equivalent of the NHL’s Stanley Cup – and was named the league’s goalie of the year.
He was also part of the Russian team which earned silver at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in February.
CSKA, which is a team with traditional connections to the Russian army, denied reports earlier this month that they were seeking to re-sign Fedotov or potentially trade him with a player from rival team SKA St. Petersburg.
The issue of Russian ice hockey stars and military service emerged as a hot topic during the summer.
Three have players have been hit with legal action in recent months after they were accused of attempting to pay bribes to receive fake military IDs in order to dodge national service.
Two stars have already had their cases heard, with both avoiding jail but with one being fined and the other handed a suspended sentence.
Star Russian NHL winger Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild was also mentioned in allegations of attempting to obtain fake documents, although those claims proved unfounded and he has since returned to the US to join up with his team.
Military service of 12 months is mandatory for all Russian men between the ages of 18 and 27, unless they have a valid exemption.
