Moldova bars Russian, Belarusian "athletes" over security fears
Some Russian and Belarusian athletes who tried to enter the Republic of Moldova for a kickboxing championship in Chișinău weren't just competitors. Instead, they were individuals employed by Russian and Belarusian security services, some with criminal records or on international sanctions lists.
This statement was made today by Lilian Carp, President of the Parliamentary Committee for National Security, Defense, and Public Order, ahead of a parliamentary session.
"These were individuals employed by the Russian Federation's security services. I even named one person who was an OMON officer from Belarus, on international sanctions lists for killing an opponent of the Lukashenka regime," stated Lilian Carp.
This refers to Dmitry Shakuta, suspected in the death of activist Roman Bondarenko, who was brutally assaulted in November 2020. Shakuta was allegedly part of an OMON intervention group that kidnapped and beat Bondarenko, causing fatal injuries. Subsequently, he was banned from the Baltic states, and in August 2021, he was added to the US sanctions list, along with his sports club "Shok."
According to the MP, not only the adult athletes but also the so-called escorts of minors attending the same championship posed risks.
"Officially, they were coming for competitions; unofficially, they posed a national security risk," Carp said.
Moldovan authorities barred entry to nearly 200 athletes from Russia and Belarus who were set to participate in a competition organized by the Chișinău City Hall in partnership with the "Garuda" association.
The event wasn't authorized by the Ministry of Education and Research because it wasn't an official European competition, and the organizing federation isn't recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
Following intervention by security services, the adult competition was canceled, while the children's competition proceeded without incident.
In turn, the championship organizers criticized the authorities' decision, claiming, "it's regrettable that politics was mixed with sports."
Translation by Iurie Tataru
