Ukraine asks FIA to reverse council decision to lift ban on Russian and Belarusian competitors
On 18 August 2026 the Ukrainian government wrote to the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) asking it to reverse the World Motor Sport Council's decision to lift a ban on individuals from Russia and Belarus.
The ban had been in place since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A statement from the head of the Ukrainian automobile federation, seen by BBC Sport, said the country's Minister of Youth and Sports had sent the appeal to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem: "The minister sent a letter to the president of the FIA and the FIA World Motor Sport Council requesting that the decision concerning the aforementioned lifting of sanctions be reconsidered," the statement said.
BBC Sport has been told by multiple sources that the decision to lift sanctions was made by the council at the behest of Ben Sulayem. The Ukrainian federation said the move had "come as a complete surprise" to the organisation.
The federation's statement included a formal objection to the council's choice: "Although this decision is consistent with the latest decisions of the International Olympic Committee, in the global motorsport system it may, in practice, have a counterproductive effect, first and foremost in the context of ensuring the integrity of competitions."
The federation also described the human cost of the conflict in its appeal: "As a result of the full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation with the assistance of the Republic of Belarus, Ukrainian motorsport has suffered significant losses, with a large number of our motorsport competitors having been killed during this war, and that such circumstances simply cannot be disregarded when considering decisions of this nature."
The FIA responded with a statement addressing the updated requirements: "The FIA has updated the requirements for Russian and Belarusian drivers, national teams, competitors and officials following a vote by the World Motor Sport Council." The governing body added: "This follows an announcement by the IOC on 7 July and similar updates issued by other international sporting federations." It also confirmed: "The FIA maintains its ban on organising events and competitions in Russia and Belarus. The FIA continues to monitor the situation closely in Ukraine and reserves the right to update its position in the future."
Boris Romanovich Rotenberg, president of the Russian automobile federation and listed on sanctions lists of both the USA and the UK, issued a statement on his organisation's website endorsing the council's move: "Behind this decision is the huge diplomatic work of the RAF. We have always maintained a professional dialogue with our colleagues from the FIA, firmly defending the interests of our country. "Sport and culture should be outside of politics - they unite peoples. Justice has triumphed. We are grateful to the International Automobile Federation for the constructive dialogue and are ready to jointly solve all pressing issues. "Full restoration of the membership of the Russian Automobile Federation in the FIA is the most important step that returns Russia to the process of making key decisions in world motorsport."
Ukraine has formally requested that the FIA World Motor Sport Council reconsider its removal of sanctions, and the FIA has stated that it "continues to monitor the situation closely in Ukraine and reserves the right to update its position in the future."