In November 2025, basketball player Kirill Yelatontsev, being under a long-term professional contract with Lokomotiv Kuban until 2029 (the contract was duly registered with the Russian Basketball Federation), left the team without permission. Subsequently, as the club learned from open sources, the player moved to the United States to play in the NCAA for the University of Oklahoma.
The club considers these actions to be an unacceptable breach of contract, committed unilaterally and demonstrating a blatant disregard for sports law and professional ethics.
In this regard, Lokomotiv Kuban has taken a comprehensive set of measures in full compliance with the regulations, submitting official requests and documents to Russian and international organizations regulating legal relations in basketball (the RBF, FIBA, and the NCAA).
The Russian Basketball Federation’s Player Status Commission is currently reviewing a request for sporting sanctions against Yelatontsev, and the club’s claim has been accepted for review by the National Center for Arbitration for Sport.
International standards, which all sports entities must adhere to, establish the fundamental principle of labor relations in professional sports as “the stability of an athlete’s employment contract.” This means that, regardless of national legislation, the parties are obligated to fulfill the contract for the entire term. Termination is possible only for valid reasons.
The current situation not only directly harms the club’s interests but also sends an extremely negative signal to the entire sports community. This creates a dangerous loophole that might provoke other young athletes to similar contract violations, jeopardizing the entire national basketball reserve training system and the financial stability of clubs, academies, and sports schools.
Lokomotiv Kuban PBC emphasizes that the significant investments in player development made by Russian sports organizations cannot be unilaterally annulled to suit the immediate personal interests of an athlete, their entourage, or foreign teams and leagues.
We intend to continue to vigorously defend our legal rights by all available means provided by Russian and international sports law and seek justice.