Sabres’ Ilya Lyubushkin to skip out on Pride Night warmups citing safety concerns in Russia

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Russian born NHL defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin will not take part in the Buffalo Sabres Pride Night warmup with his team on Monday, citing fear of retribution over the laws in his native country against supporting LGBTQ rights.

The Sabres issued a statement Monday reaffirming its commitment to the community ahead of Pride Night, but made mention of the "general threats to certain players" after news broke that Lyubushkin, who was born in Moscow, would not partake in the evening’s events. 

Ilya Lyubushkin of the Buffalo Sabres skates against the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on March 13, 2023, in Toronto, Canada. (Getty Images)

"The Buffalo Sabres are proud to continue to support the LGBTQIA+ community as allies by hosting our third annual Pride night game. It is of the utmost importance for us to continue to use our platform to strengthen our organizational goal of making hockey for everyone," the statement read. 

OPENLY GAY NHL PROSPECT SHARES ‘DISAPPOINTMENT’ OVER LACK OF PRIDE NIGHT SUPPORT

"Consistent with previous years, our team feels strongly that one way to garner support is through wearing Pride jerseys and using Pride tape in warmups. That said, we are aware of general threats to certain players and understand their decision to forego risk."

In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law expanding restrictions on activities seen as supporting LGBTQ rights, and breaking that law could result in fines or jail time. According to The Athletic, Lyubushkin travels back to Russia, where his family lives, in the offseason. 

Lyubushkin’s teammates spoke about his decision before Monday’s game against the Montreal