Over 590 Ukrainian Athletes Killed by Russia as Kremlin Uses Sport for Propaganda

As of March 2025, 591 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed by Russia, 22 are held in captivity, and 11 are missing, The Gaze reports citing Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It is reported that 725 sports facilities have been damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks, including 17 Olympic, Paralympic, and Deaflympic training bases. 

For decades, Russia has used sports as a propaganda tool. A striking example is the way the Kremlin celebrated hockey star Alexander Ovechkin’s record-breaking NHL goal in April 2025. President Vladimir Putin personally praised Ovechkin’s achievement, calling it “a true celebration for fans in Russia and abroad,” and Russian officials used the moment to promote narratives of Russian-American friendship, despite Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin emissary involved in ceasefire talks, shared Ovechkin’s message—“For the whole world, for Russia… We did it, guys, this is history!”—as part of a broader campaign to improve Russia’s international image. Meanwhile, that same day, deadly Russian airstrikes claimed the lives of civilians in Kryvyi Rih and Kyiv.

To support the claim that Russian sport is deeply politicized, among the 15 Russian athletes competing as “neutrals” at the Paris 2024 Olympics, 10 had either publicly supported the war or had direct ties to the military.

“Russian sport is not separate from the state – it is one of the tools used to justify and promote aggression,” the Foreign Ministry’s statement reads. “Those who say sport should be outside politics must also acknowledge that Russia uses sport as a political weapon.”

While Ukraine seeks peace, Russia continues launching missiles and undermining global stability. “There should be no place for Russia in international sports until it stops its atrocities against Ukraine,” Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized.

As The Gaze previously reported, on Friday evening, Russian forces fired a missile at the city of Kryvyi Rih in eastern Ukraine.  As a result of the attack on  Kryvyi Rih, 18 people were killed, including 9 children, and more than 60 others were injured, including 12 children.

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