KHL game suspended due to threat of drone strike

The Kontinental Hockey League has announced that the game between HC Sochi and CSKA Moscow will not take place due to “security reasons.”

As reported by HC Sochi’s Telegram page, the game had to be called off due to the “repeated announcement of a drone strike regime in Sirius and Sochi.”

The game had already commenced, with the two clubs playing to a 0-0 draw in the first period.

No other details have been provided by the KHL or the teams involved.

CSKA, also known as the Red Army Team, entered the game sitting fifth in the Western Conference. The team has several players with NHL experience, including Daniel Sprong and Nikolai Kovalenko. Buffalo Sabres prospect Prokhor Poltapov is the team’s top scorer with 34 points, while Detroit Red Wings draft pick Dmitri Buchelnikov, has 21 points in 34 games. New York Islanders goaltending prospect Dmitri Gazmin has emerged as one of the league’s top netminders, boasting a .935 save percentage.

Sochi, meanwhile, is currently dead last in the KHL with just 40 points in 56 games. The team only has three players with NHL experience – Ilya Samsonov (200 GP), Jean-Christophe Beaudin (22 GP) and Will Bitten (four GP)

Russia invaded Ukraine back in February. 24, 2022, just after the conclusion of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in China. The war has been ongoing ever since, marking the largest war in Europe since World War II from 1939-1945.

Russia has remained banned from all IIHF and other international hockey events ever since. The same goes for Russian ally, Belarus, with the pair often holding their own smaller international tournaments at various points during the season.

Back in January, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) announced that it will be appealing the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ruling to ban its teams from competing in international competitions next season. The statement comes after the IIHF Council ruled that Russia and Belarus will remain banned from participating in its events for the 2026-27 season, citing continued safety concerns.