We, veteran fencers of Ukraine, standing for the integrity of the universal veteran fencing community and peaceful development of the sport of fencing, are deeply disturbed by the events that happened during the European Veterans Fencing Circuit, held in Faches-Thumesnil (France).

On 21 January 2024, having found out that Russian fencers had been admitted to the European Veterans Fencing Circuit, contrary to a current ban of the European Veterans Fencing (EVF) on the participation of Russian and Belarusian fencers in any EVF events, our colleague, Ukrainian fencer Vasyl Kosakivskyi, filed a protest with the EVF organizingcommittee, requesting to cancel the enrollment of the Russian fencers. His protest was rejected, so then Vasyl refused to participate in the bouts, for what he received a black card. 

We are shocked and worried that notwithstanding the universal condemnation of the Russian war against Ukraine, there still remain sports organizations that welcome Russian athletes at their events. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supported by Belarus, stands in sharp contrast with sports principles and values preserved by the Olympic community and, thus, must be met with strong resistance. By refusing to fence side by side with the nationals of the aggressor state, Vasyl Kosakivskyi outstandingly demonstrated such resistance, placing his national position over private interests.

Truly, Vasyl’s decision at the European Veterans Fencing Circuit was a loud protest to the silent indifference of the organizers of this event.  

We, Ukrainian veteran fencers, our families, friends, colleagues, and all countrymen are in grave danger as a result of a brutal invasion of our country while some of our colleagues combat an enemy on the battlefield. Therefore, we plead to the European Veterans Fencing to comply with its previous decision, taken in 2022 and reinstated in 2023, and ban the participation of the Russian and Belarusian fencers under any status, including neutral, in all events under the auspices of the European Veterans Fencing: championships, circuits, tournaments, etc.

We encourage the European Veterans Fencing to stay in solidarity with the International Olympic Committee and the European Fencing Confederation and not allow Russian and Belarusian fencers to participate in any fencing events.    

Let us stay united in combating aggression and ensuring harmonious development of fencing worldwide!

We also encourage all European veteran fencers to support us and sign this statement. 

Supported by:

1. VLADYSLAV BOYKOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
2. OLEKSIY SHABLIY– veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
3. VLADYSLAV SOKOLOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
4. VITALIY KORZH – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
5. VALERIY KORZH – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
6. EVGENIY TSARENOK – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
7. VIKTOR HRUSHCHANSKYI – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
8. MYKHAILO GLOBA – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
9. STANISLAV KARCHEMSKYI – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
10. OLEKSANDR KARAPYSH – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
11. TARAS BABKA – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
12. OLEKSIY LAKHTARENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
13. OLEKSIY BELOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
14. VADYM YEHOROV – veteran fencer (ISRAEL)
15. VIKTOR SOKOLOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
16. ALEKSANDR DIDYK – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
17. DMYTRO POLOVNYKOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
18. OLEKSANDR PUSTOVIT – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
19. VOLODYMYR SOKOLOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
20. BOHDAN BEREZIUK – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
21. SERHIY CHEREDNYCHENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
22. VOLODYMYR SYMONENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
23. ROMAN YUSHCHYSHYN – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
24. ROMAN SEMIKOZ– veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
25. DMYTRO RUDENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
26. SERHIY RUDENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
27. MAKSYM KUTSENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
28. IHOR YATSENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
29. DMYTRO SYDOROV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
30. VLADISLAV DEMIANENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
31. VOLODYMYR KOTSUR – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
32. YURI KIREEV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
33. OLEG ROENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
34. JULIAN ZERELLY – veteran fencer (FRANCE)
35. VIKTOR LYSOVOY – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
36. ANDRIY MALOSNYAK – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
37. VALERIY DANILENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
38. MYKHAILO MOISEYEV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
39. EGOR MAKOVETSKY – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
40. SERHIY YANCHYSHEN – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
41. OLESIY MOROZ – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
42. OLEG SHTANKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
43. VLADYSLAV REMBETSKYI – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
44. OLEKSANDR GAYOVYI – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
45. PAVLO YEREMIN – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
46. YEVHEN KYSELYOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
47. YEVHEN KYRYCHENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
48. VOLODYMYR TYHYI – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
49. DENYS LEMENTARYOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
50. IHOR USTYNOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
51. RUSLAN CHYZHANKOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
52. ANTON SKVORTSOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
53. OLEKSANDR HOSPODINOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
54. KOSTIANTYN KULIK – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
55. DMYTRO POHORELOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
56. YURI HUNKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
57. SERHIY KOZLENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
58. MYKOLAI OPANASENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
59. VASYL BOENYCHEV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
60. VIRTS ROLAN – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
61. ANDRII DRUZENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
62. ALEKSANDR ATANASSOW – veteran fencer (POLAND)
63. MAKSYM KHVOROST – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
64. DARIUSZ ZIELINSKI – veteran fencer (POLAND) 
65. ANDRYI BOVT – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
66. VASYL KOSAKIVSKYI – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
67. VITALIY MEDVEDEV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
68. IHOR REIZLIN – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
69. MAREK JENDRYS – veteran fencer (POLAND)
70. IRENIUSZ KOSTRZEWA – veteran fencer (POLAND)
71. MIKHAIL ILYASHEV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE) 
72. VOLODYMYR LIANNOI – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
73. OLEKSANDR VOLKOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
74. KOSTIANTYN RYMARENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
75. SERHII SAMOILOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
76. OLEKSII BRYZGALOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
77. OLEKSANDR SAKHARCHUK – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
78. IHOR HRAMTSOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)                    
79. STANISLAV VERBITSKYI – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
80. VITALIY KUCHUK – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
81. SERHII VAKULENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
82. TARAS KHUDYCH – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
83. VITALII LAVRYNENKO – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
84. DMYTRO HRYHORIEV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)           
85. OLENA KHISMATULINA – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
86. IRYNA ILYASHEVA – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
87. MACIEJ DRAPELLA – veteran fencer (POLAND)
88. LESZEK HERONIMEK – veteran fencer (POLAND)
89. PRZEMYSLAW KORONA-TRZEBSKI – veteran fencer (POLAND)
90. ALIK GERTSMAN – veteran fencer (ISRAEL)
91. GEORGIY HOLOD – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
92. MARIUSZ KRZEMINSKI– veteran fencer (POLAND)
93. TOMASZ CWIORO – veteran fencer (POLAND)
94. KRZYSZTOF KOBIERSKI – veteran fencer (POLAND)
95. MALGORZATA SADOWSKA – veteran fencer (POLAND)
96. KRZYSZTOF CWIORO – veteran fencer (POLAND)
97. OLEKSANDR NIKALAICHUK – veteran fencer (BELARUS)
98. DALIBOR KAZIK – veteran fencer (SLOVENIA)
99. MARIUSZ WINGROWICZ – veteran fencer (POLAND)
100. SVEN KOEMETS – veteran fencer (ESTONIA)
101. BORIS PARDUS – veteran fencer (POLAND)
102. MALGORZATA CZERWINSKA – veteran fencer (POLAND)
103. LESZEK GAJDA – veteran fencer (POLAND)
104. JERZY PREGOWSKI – veteran fencer (POLAND)
105. ARTUR CHUDYCKI – veteran fencer (POLAND)
106. ANDRZEJ NOWAKOWSKI – veteran fencer (POLAND)
107. JACEK BAZAK – veteran fencer (POLAND)
108. MARTA NOWAK – veteran fencer (POLAND)
109. NORBERT GRZEGOREK – veteran fencer (POLAND)
110. MICHAL ZABLOCKI – veteran fencer (POLAND)
111. HANIA ZIMA – veteran fencer (POLAND)
112. MACIEJ SEKOWSKI – veteran fencer (POLAND)
113. ALAN GRABOWSKI – veteran fencer (POLAND)
114. LUKASZ PAKULA – veteran fencer (POLAND)
115. ALEKSANDER MAZIK – veteran fencer (POLAND)
116. ROBERT NOWICKI – veteran fencer (POLAND)
117. OLEKSANDR MYRONOV – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
118. YEVHEN KOZAKIVSKYI – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
119. OLEKSANDR DUBROVSKYI – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
120. ZBIGNIEW JAROSZEK – veteran fencer (POLAND)
121. VIKTOR VASYLETS – veteran fencer (UKRAINE)
122. PAWEL KACZMAREK – veteran fencer (POLAND)
123. JANE CLAYTON – veteran fencer (ENGLAND)
124. MARTYNA SAMECKA-NACZYNSKA – veteran fencer (POLAND)
125. JEAN STOCK  – veteran fencer (ENGLAND)
126. TOMASZ KONCZYLO – veteran fencer (POLAND)
127. PATRYCJA LASKOWSKA – veteran fencer (POLAND)
128. MAJA PAWLOWSKA – veteran fencer (POLAND)
129. JAN MAZUR – veteran fencer (POLAND)
130. MICHAL REDZINSKI – veteran fencer (POLAND)
131. WERONIKA CHALIMONIUK – veteran fencer (POLAND)
132. NORBERT MIKOLAJCZUK – veteran fencer (POLAND)
133. DANIEL PRZYSTAJKO – veteran fencer (POLAND)
134. GREGORZ SZMIDT – veteran fencer (POLAND)
135. SLAWOMIR POSPIESZNY – veteran fencer (POLAND)
136. ROMAN FORAJTER – veteran fencer (POLAND)
137. PAWEL DROBCZYK – veteran fencer (POLAND)
138. HALINA BEDNARSKA – veteran fencer (POLAND)
139. BERNARD TRZENSIOK – veteran fencer (POLAND)