By: Emily Chu

Last Friday, Russian hockey player Ivan Fedotov was said to be detained in Russia for evading military service. The prosecutor believes there is evidence to “consider Fedotov an army evader.” He was reportedly to be detained at St. Petersburg hockey rink.

Fedotov is a Finnish-Russian hockey goalie, who played for the CSKA Moscow, a Russian hockey team with connections with the Russian Army. The team plays in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), which is Russia’s premier hockey league.

On May 7 Fedotov signed a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL), after ending his season with multiple wins, including the Gagarin Cup in the KHL and a silver medal at the Olympics.

“We’re not sure what exactly is going on. News out of Russia is very suspect all the time and we don’t have very specific reports,” the Locked on Flyers podcast said.” The Flyers and NHL say they’re aware of the situation but haven’t made formal statements other than that.

The trustworthiness of Russian news is frequently questioned, so the media is trying to avoid saying anything that is currently unconfirmed.

Fedotov reportedly evaded military service, which was what the Russian media outlets posts as the reason for his detainment. He is currently at an army enlistment office.

“In the past, we know that some players who have played for [CSKA Moscow] have had that count toward their mandatory military service,” Locked on Flyers reported. “In Russia, men between 18 and 27 have to join the army for a year, and a lot of hockey players have used their time on state hockey teams as their service before.”

Fedotov’s last season was strong, which was part of the reason why the Flyers decided to sign him Fedotov. It is obvious that Russia knew about the contract through inside sources, which may have been another reason why Fedotov was detained.

Fedotov’s detainment occurred at the same time that Brittany Griner’s trial began. Griner, an American basketball player, was detained in Russia when authorities claimed there was hash oil in her luggage.