Ukraine’s Minister for Youth and Sport Matvii Bidnyi has criticised the FIA for easing restrictions on Russian and Belarusian competitors, arguing that the circumstances behind the original ban remain unchanged.
The FIA introduced restrictions on Russian and Belarusian participation in international motorsport in February 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, the governing body’s World Motor Sport Council voted on 3 August 2026 to revise those measures and allow competitors from the two countries to return under updated conditions.
The decision followed a similar policy change by the International Olympic Committee, with which the FIA is affiliated.
Bidnyi said the move was difficult to justify while the war continues and Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities remain frequent. Speaking to BBC Sport in Kyiv, he said an air raid warning had ended shortly before the interview after a Russian drone struck the city’s central railway station.
He argued that Russia continues its military campaign while Belarus still provides support to Moscow, meaning the conditions that led sporting organisations to impose sanctions have not disappeared.
Ukraine Questions Shift in Sporting Policy
Bidnyi also expressed concern that some international federations have begun relaxing restrictions on Russian participation while others are maintaining tougher positions.
He pointed to athletics and biathlon as examples of sports where governing bodies have continued to take a stricter approach. World Athletics has not restored Russia’s full participation, although the Russian Athletics Federation has taken its case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in an attempt to challenge existing sanctions.
Other sports, including judo and weightlifting, have moved towards allowing more Russian and Belarusian athletes back into international competition under various eligibility frameworks.
Ukraine has repeatedly argued that elite Russian sport cannot be separated from the state because of close links between major sporting institutions, the military and government-backed organisations. Ukrainian officials say international sporting participation can therefore be used to improve Russia’s global image while the war continues.
War Continues to Hit Ukrainian Sport
The Ukrainian government says the invasion has caused extensive damage to the country’s sporting community and infrastructure.
According to figures cited by Kyiv, 775 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed since the full-scale invasion began. That number includes three people connected to the Ukrainian Automobile Federation.
Ukraine also says more than 925 sports facilities have been destroyed during the conflict.
Those losses have formed a central part of Ukraine’s argument for maintaining international sporting restrictions on Russia and Belarus. Officials say easing sanctions risks weakening the collective pressure that sporting organisations and governments have sought to maintain since 2022.
The FIA, meanwhile, has said its latest policy follows changes introduced by the IOC and other international federations.
While participation requirements for Russian and Belarusian drivers, competitors, officials and national teams have been revised, the FIA is continuing to prohibit races and other FIA-sanctioned events from being staged in Russia or Belarus.
The governing body has also said it will continue assessing developments in Ukraine and may change its position again if circumstances require it.