Russian hockey player latest to be punished in military bribery case

Vladislav Lukin was found guilty of giving bribes to avoid military service

Russian ice hockey player Vladislav Lukin has been fined 2.2 million rubles ($37,500) after being convicted of giving bribes to obtain fake documents and avoid military service.

Lukin, 25, was handed the sentence at the Leninsky District Court of Ufa in Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan on Monday.

Lukin, who plays for the Yugra hockey club based in Khanty-Mansyisk, is the third player to be punished in recent weeks as part of an investigation into offenses committed back in 2019.

SKA St. Petersburg star Mikhail Vorobyov and former Salavat Yulaev goaltender Anvar Suleimanov were also convicted in the case. 

All three players have avoided jail, although the 25-year-old Vorobyov was fined 2 million rubles last month, while Suleimanov, 22, received a five-year suspended prison sentence.

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As well as paying a bribe to receive fake military documents, Lukin also admitted to obtaining a false driver’s license by paying two installments of 230,000 rubles.

A former police traffic officer, Farit Samigullin, remains under house arrest as part of the investigation.

Lukin’s lawyer, Sergey Kozhevnikov, said he was satisfied with the verdict and noted that the hockey player would now complete his military service, RIA Novosti reported.

Several high-profile cases involving Russian hockey players and military duties have emerged in recent months. 

Star goaltender Ivan Fedotov, who helped the Russian team to win the silver medal at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, was detained in St. Petersburg in July on suspicion of attempting to evade military service.

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The 25-year-old was named the best goalie in the Russia-based KHL last season and was due to embark on an NHL career at the Philadelphia Flyers before the scandal emerged.

Fedotov was transferred to a military center in the Archangelsk region in northern Russia to complete his training.

Last month, Fedotov’s lawyers announced they were dropping their appeal against the decision.

Star NHL winger Kirill Kaprizov was named in unconfirmed reports in Russia about potentially being linked to another case of attempting to evade military service, although the reports proved unfounded and the player rejoined the Minnesota Wild ahead of the new season.