Ice hockey goalkeeper Ivan Fedotov has been arrested and transferred to a military base in the Arctic, according to Russian reports.
Fedotov, a silver medalist at the Beijing Olympics, is scheduled to do penal service on the Arctic island of Novaya Zemlya, the Russian news agency TASS reported, citing Russian security agencies. Fedotov’s lawyer confirmed to the state news agency RIA Novosti that the 25-year-old was taken to Severomorsk, near Murmansk. There is an important base of the Russian Northern Fleet.
Fedotow last played for the army club CSKA Moscow, but did not want to extend his expiring contract due to an impending move to the US professional league NHL. The goalkeeper was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015 and signed a contract with the NHL club in May.
Arrested after training in Saint Petersburg
According to media reports, Fedotov was arrested by unknown persons on Friday evening in St. Petersburg after training. He was reportedly taken to a military facility and later to a hospital.
Fedotov is said to have been taken to the Severomorsk naval base north of Murmansk on Sunday. “He will probably serve in one of the military units based on Novaya Zemlya Island in the Arctic Ocean.”, a spokesman for the Russian security organs was quoted in the reports. Novaya Zemlya is also known as the former Soviet nuclear test site.
Punishment after moving to the NHL?
As a CSKA player, Fedotov, 25, was an official member of the Russian Armed Forces. “In our law there is a military duty”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying on Monday, “Therefore, any emotional comments about it are totally inappropriate.”
However, the Russian journalist Anton Orech, who is critical of the Kremlin, suspected that Fedotov’s call-up had something to do with the fact that the CSKA leadership was angry about the move to the USA. Relations between the NHL and Russia have been strained since the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Russian players are still allowed to play in North America, but the league has severed their economic ties to Russia.
Meanwhile, many clubs are concerned that their Russian stars could face problems when returning for the new season. That’s why several club managers, but also player advisors, advised Russian ice hockey professionals to spend the summer in North America or the EU. They were also forbidden from taking the Stanley Cup back to their Russian homeland