“Quiet Reintegration”: How Russia’s Return to Hockey Threatens Ukraine’s Elite Division

In global hockey, according to the Ukrainian side, there is an unobtrusive process underway to return Russian national teams to the international calendar. Yuriy Kyrychenko, Sports Director of the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine (FHU), described it in an exclusive interview with Sport RBC.UA as a “quiet reintegration.” While it currently concerns Russian teams, Belarusian squads were returned earlier at the U-18 men’s level and in women’s competitions following an IIHF Council decision implemented by the Zurich congress. Kyrychenko emphasized that this decision was made “very quickly, almost on the fly.”

Two IIHF Statements After the CAS Ruling

Following the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Kyrychenko stated that the IIHF issued two statements. In the first, the federation said it disagreed with the CAS ruling and intended to convene a Council meeting to determine further steps. The second statement, released on November 4, said the Council was already at work, but no decision had been made yet. However, Kyrychenko noted that the statement mentioned the Belarusian national team, even though it was not a party in the CAS case — which concerned only Russia. Meanwhile, the IIHF announced that the Belarusian national and youth teams would not participate in the 2027 World Championships.

Norway as the First Precedent

The first practical consequence of this reintegration was the fate of the Norwegian national team at the World Junior Championship. According to data cited by Kyrychenko, a schedule appeared on the Swiss federation’s website where Russia replaced Norway in the elite division; the competition will take place in Canada in December. Norway, he noted, has publicly confirmed it is no longer among the elite division participants, being the lowest-ranked team among the World Junior participants. On Saturday afternoon, the Division 1A teams, where the Ukrainian national team competes, received an email from a general IIHF inbox announcing Russia’s reintegration, Norway’s relegation to Division 1A, and stating that the 1A format would now include seven teams.

Canada Against the IIHF Schedule

However, the schedule placing Russia in Canada has clashed with the host nation's official stance. According to Kyrychenko, a week before the schedule was published, Canada stated it did not plan to issue visas to Russians and did not want to see them among the participants of its World Junior Championship. Thus, a direct contradiction arose between the IIHF calendar and Canada’s position, which may determine whether Russian participation in the December tournament actually takes place.

Division 1A Meeting and Ukraine’s Position

On Monday, two days after the IIHF email, a meeting of the Division 1A teams was convened: the six teams originally scheduled to play, plus Norway, which unexpectedly received the “gift” of being relegated to this division. The meeting discussed the schedule, a draft of which had been prepared in advance and sent to the teams; formal approval and publication were planned for Tuesday. The Ukrainian team, as a participant, was represented at the meeting, and it was at this stage, Kyrychenko said, that opinions were voiced. He explained why he considers the IIHF’s actions a violation of its own rules, assessed the risks for the Ukrainian national team, and shared whether the FHU is preparing to challenge the international federation’s decisions in sports legal instances.