A loud scandal over mobilization in the national team! Ukraine's vice-champions refused to return to the country from Italy after an international karate tournament

The Ukrainian Karate Federation has expelled the country's vice-champions, the couple Yevhen and Daria Pylypiuk, from the national team for not returning to Ukraine after participating in a tournament in Venice. The organization plans to seek their lifetime disqualification from the World Karate Federation, as well as deprivation of honorary sports titles.

According to the Federation, the actions of the athletes have damaged the reputation of Ukrainian karate. Yevhen is accused of evading mobilization (Article 336 of the Criminal Code), and his wife is accused of complicity.

Daria stated that these accusations are unfair, as she cannot be held responsible for her husband's actions.

The Federation's decision

The Federation claims that Yevhen and Daria did not fulfill their obligations – they were supposed to return to Ukraine after the competition by December 11, 2024. Instead, the couple stayed abroad and later took part in a tournament in Georgia.

Daria is also facing charges for participating in tournaments without the permission of the Federation and violating the rules of mobilization.

Daria's position

The 18-year-old athlete claims that the charges against her are groundless. She emphasized that:

• When she traveled to Venice, she was not a member of the Ukrainian national team and participated in the competition as a private citizen at her own expense.
• She is not registered with the military, as she is the mother of a young child (1 year and 5 months).
• Her club, Lider, rejected her, and her request to transfer to another club went unanswered.

Daria believes that the Federation makes decisions in a biased manner, without allowing her to defend her position.

Yevhen's position

Yevhen Pylypiuk admitted that he had violated the rules by staying abroad, but noted that his wife was not to blame. According to him, she did not know about his intention not to return to Ukraine, and they paid for all the trips on their own.

He also accused the president of the Chernivtsi Karate Federation, Oleksandr Pikulin, of trying to make money by obtaining a deferment from mobilization, which, according to Yevhen, was not successful.

The Federation's response

Oleksandr Pikulin, Yevhen's coach, emphasized that the athletes had violated the rules by not returning to Ukraine. He added that such actions cast a shadow over the entire national team, especially against the backdrop of the tragedies of other athletes who died at the front.

Daria called Pikulin's words slanderous, claiming that she had always been in touch and was not hiding, as the coach claims.

In the comments to Suspilne's Instagram post, Daria Pylypiuk said that she was currently in Chernivtsi and that she had no set deadline for returning to Ukraine. She also considers the proposal to deprive her of all her sports awards unfair, emphasizing that her achievements have nothing to do with her husband's actions. However, when asked whether Yevhen Pylypiuk had returned from abroad, the athlete did not answer.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!