Page 34 - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine September 2024

34 I Central Europe bne September 2024
countries. They point out that if these individuals were forced to return, they would likely face torture, conscription, or imprisonment.
The Helsinki Committee asserts that, even with the National Card, these individuals are not exempt from national security checks, and national
security considerations are still taken into account for their long-term stay in Hungary.
Foreign security analyst Anton Bendarjevskiy also shares this view. Applicants have to present proof of income, residence, and a letter from their employer to participate in the
programme and this scheme will not lead to higher espionage activity by Russia, he opined.
Hungary, unlike its EU peers, has not expelled any Russian diplomats since Moscow's war against Ukraine. On the contrary, their number has increased in the past two years.
Ice hockey players in Russian league included in Slovak national squad following months of disputes
Albin Sybera
Slovak players from the Russian Continental Hockey League (KHL) have been nominated to the national squad ahead of the Winter Olympics ice hockey qualification tournament.
This decision follows a close internal vote in the Slovak ice hockey bodies and months of disputes which were joined by politicians from the ruling left-right coalition of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico. Slovakia is the first major ice hockey side to have reinstated KHL players to its national team.
KHL players have been banned from national squads by their countries’ ice
hockey unions for playing in a league which openly supports the Russian army and its invasion of Ukraine, including the display of the letter “Z” during hockey games. Russia is banned from competing in international ice hockey tournaments following the 2022 invasion.
After the unveiling of the Slovak national roster, Martin Pospisil, a forward from the Calgary Flames
side of the North American Hockey League, said he was re-considering his participation in the squad which includes altogether three KHL players, defenders Martin Gernat and Mario Grman and forward Adam Liska.
“I am a person who has moral principles that are difficult to go against,” Pospisil was quoted as saying by Sports daily Dennik Sport, adding that “it is still
an honour for me to wear the national jersey. Sometime man has to put sport aside, but it is difficult to talk about it now for me.”
President of the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation and former NHL star Miroslav Satan said that nobody wants to force Pospisil, who eventually agreed to play in the qualification, to change his views.
“We know that society is divided and perhaps in our dressing room there will be differing views. However, we want
The Slovak ice hockey squad has been riven by disputes over whether players from the Russian league should be included. / bne IntelliNews
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