Ukraine petitions FIA ethics panel to sanction Russian federation after ban lifted

Ukraine's national automobile federation has submitted a formal request to the FIA ethics committee, seeking an urgent investigation into the Russian Automobile Federation's activities. The FAU alleges that the Russian body continues to run offices in Crimea, Sevastopol and the occupied sections of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, territories the United Nations still recognises as part of Ukraine. These actions, it says, contravene FIA statutes that allow only one automobile club per country.

The complaint comes after the FIA world council, acting on a proposal by president Mohammed ben Sulayem, lifted the ban on Russian and Belarusian competitors that had been in place since the February 2022 invasion. FAU president Oleksandr Feldman urged the FIA president to order the immediate closure of the Russian offices and impose sanctions. The statement also notes that RAF head Boris Rotenberg is currently under sanctions from the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and other allied jurisdictions. The ethics committee, now under the influence of Ben Sulayem and senate president Carmello Sanz de Barros, has been asked to determine a breach and enforce corrective measures, while the FIA has not responded to inquiries.