Political expert weighs risks to Russian NHL players for discussing war in Ukraine

TSN Senior Correspondent

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Sergey Radchenko is an expert on Russian foreign and security policies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna, Italy. A professor and historian, he has written on politics and international sports.

Radchenko was born in the former Soviet Union near the Chinese border and grew up on the island of Sakhalin in the northern Pacific.

In an email exchange with TSN, he offered his perspective on how Vladimir Putin has stepped up repression inside Russia’s borders and about Ukraine's recent request that Canada stop granting new visas and work permits to Russian athletes.

The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

TSN: How deeply do you think the Russian government would care about NHL players and other pro athletes being barred from working in North America? And what risks might Russian athletes in North America be taking by being openly critical of Putin?  Radchenko: “I have very strong doubts that Putin would care about NHL players being kicked out of Canada to be frank. This would not be on their list of concerns. As for your other question, I think it is becoming more difficult to speak out. There are new threats being made by the Prosecutor General’s office in relation to the criticism of the war in Ukraine that basically make it treason to speak the truth.” TSN: A Russian F1 driver was banned last week from the British Grand Prix. Norway is banning Russians from upcoming skiing competitions. If the U.S., Canada and U.K. banned all Russian athletes, would this be a pressure point, in your opinion? Might Russia's exclusion from all Western sport be an effective pressure point as it was with South Africa during apartheid?

Radche