North Americans in Russia's KHL Face Difficult Decisions

Kunlun Red Star's Ryan Sproul, right, of Canada, fifths for the puck with Amur's Radan Lenc, left, during the Kontinental Hockey League ice hockey match between Kunlun Red Star Beijing and Amur Khabarovsk in Mytishchi, just outside Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 15, 2021. North Americans playing in the Russia-based KHL have been put in a difficult position amid calls from the U.S and Canadian governments for them to leave the country because of the war in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

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By Associated Press

September 30, 2022 at 8:46 AM UTC

(AP) -- North Americans playing in the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League have been put in a difficult position amid calls from the U.S and Canadian governments for them to leave the country because of the war in Ukraine.

The Canadian government has advised its citizens to leave Russia while commercial means are still available, cautioning anyone holding a Russian passport could be subject to call-up for mandatory military service. Earlier this week, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued the same security alert for Americans in Russia, urging them to leave.