Russian former football star clarifies military summons

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov said he visited the local military recruitment office to update his details

Former Russian international football star Diniyar Bilyaletdinov has explained that he received a summons to visit his local military recruitment office to update his personal information details, rather than be drafted into the army.

Bilyaletdinov’s father told the Russian media on Wednesday that his son – who won 46 caps for the national team during his playing career – had received the notice amid the ongoing partial mobilization.

But the 37-year-old former footballer himself clarified on Thursday that the request was simply to check his data.

“This morning I went to the military enlistment office. They just checked the data, since I haven’t updated it for a long time,” Bilyaletdinov told Championat.

“I spent half an hour in the military registration and enlistment office, then I went home. They just clarified the data.”

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Bilyaletdinov’s father had expressed his surprise at the summons, citing his son’s age and the stipulation that only privates and sergeants aged 35 and under would be called up.

“He didn’t serve [in the army], although he did military service, but it was specific and inclined towards sports,” Rinat Bilyaletdinov had told RIA Novosti.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov was part of the Russia team which went all the way to the semifinals of the 2008 European Championship.

At club level, he starred for Lokomotiv Moscow and Spartak Moscow, also spending three years at English Premier League club Everton.

After retiring from professional football in 2018, the former attacking midfielder began a coaching career and is currently among the staff at FC Rodina-2, who play in Russia’s Second League.

Bilyaletdinov’s trip to his local military recruitment center comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization last week, which is intended to recruit 300,000 reservists across the country.

The step is aimed at helping to control Russian-held areas and the 1,000-kilometer contact line with Ukrainian forces.