31-year-old defender Nikolay Zolotov, who played in the Ukrainian Premier League for Kremenchuk's 'Kolos' between 2021 and 2023, has found himself at the center of a major scandal: according to Belarusian media, on July 7 he was included in the so-called 'black list' and effectively declared wanted by the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA citing the Belarusian publication by.tribuna.com. At the time of publication, the footballer plays for Moldovan 'Zimbru'.

Wanted status and 'black list'

According to Belarusian media, Zolotov's candidacy for the 'black list' was personally submitted by the Minister of Sport of Belarus, Sergey Kovalchuk. Inclusion in such a list essentially means a ban on professional activity and cooperation with Belarusian clubs and structures, and may also be accompanied by wanted status measures. The very fact of a current footballer playing abroad ending up on such a Belarusian authorities' list makes the situation exceptional and attracts the attention of Ukrainian and international sports media.

Reason: interview in support of Ukraine

According to Sport RBC.UA sources, the reason for the player's inclusion in the 'black list' was one of his public statements in which he expressed support for Ukraine. Most likely, this refers to Zolotov's interview with the Ukrainian publication 'Zerkalo', published in August 2022, when the footballer was already living and playing in Ukraine. Then he openly stated his faith in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and in the country's victory in the war with the Russian aggressor.

«We are very comfortable in Ukraine. Yes, there are air raids, they are stressful, but you can get used to it. Anyway, it's not as scary as it was a month after the start of the war. I am confident in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in Zelensky — everything will be fine», — Zolotov said back then.

Career and paradox of the situation

After 'Kolos', Zolotov managed to play for French 'Bastia' and Kazakhstani 'Yelimai', and in 2024 he played in Belarus for the club 'Maxline' — indeed, already after that very interview in support of Ukraine. In July 2025, the defender joined Moldovan 'Zimbru', which is led by Ukrainian Andriy Semenchenko. This is where the main paradox lies: Belarusian authorities allowed the player to compete in their country in 2024, and only after a significant time — in July 2026 — included him in the 'black list', which indicates a delayed reaction to his public statements.

Contradictory data

There is a significant discrepancy in available sources regarding which department initiated the wanted status. Ukrainian publication Sport RBC.UA and Current Time TV channel point to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus and the Belarusian 'black list', while the Ukrainian portal ua-football.com in its headline reports that the former 'Kolos' footballer was declared wanted specifically by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Thus, one version links the restrictions with Belarusian authorities and personally Minister of Sport Kovalchuk, while the other — with Russian law enforcement agencies. The editorial office records both points of view and notes that the primary Belarusian sources, on which Ukrainian media rely, speak specifically about Belarus.

Context: FC 'Kharkiv' statement

Against the backdrop of this story, Ukrainian FC 'Kharkiv' published a separate statement about one of its footballers fleeing to Russia. Although the direct connection of this fact with Zolotov's case is not confirmed in the provided materials, both episodes reflect the general context of pressure on Ukrainian and pro-Ukrainian athletes by Russian and Belarusian structures in the conditions of the ongoing war.