Russian MMA star reveals military call-up
Russian MMA fighter Vladimir Mineev has vowed to fulfil his duty after revealing he has been called up as part of his country’s partial mobilization.
Mineev, 32, has already served as a paratrooper and falls into the category of those being drafted as part of the announcement by President Vladimir Putin last week.
“I got a draft summons, I’m going to the draft board in the coming days,” Mineev told Match TV at the weekend.
“First, I’ll go to the 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade [in Ulyanovsk], and then I’ll go to the draft.
“Now people are inviting me to weddings, to birthdays, but I have a completely different attitude,” added Mineev, who also boasts a distinguished kickboxing career.
Mineev lost his younger brother, Pyotr, at the start of the conflict when he was killed while serving in Gostomel.
“My brother died at the very beginning of the special operation... I am the only man left for four families,” said Mineev.
“But I’m not going to run. I’ll take the summons and go to the military registration and enlistment office, and from there, whatever the Motherland decides.
“I fall into the first category, I’m a paratrooper, I served a term and a contract. There are few paratroopers left, as I understand it.”
During his kickboxing outing against Bosnia’s Erko Jun earlier in September in the Russian city of Elista, Mineev entered the ring with a T-shirt dedicated to his brother which bore the message: “Be a hero. Live forever.”
Mineev later revealed that he had traveled to Mariupol immediately after the fight to help oversee the restoration of sports facilities in the city, which is under Russian control.
The visit was part of Mineev’s role as the head of the Russian Union of Martial Arts for the Ulyanovsk Region.
Mineev’s last MMA contest came in October 2021, when he defended his AMC Fight Nights Global middleweight title against compatriot Magomed Ismailov in a highly-anticipated clash in Sochi.
Mineev has won 16 of his 18 professional MMA outings, suffering just one loss and one draw.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said last week that it intends to enlist 300,000 people into active service for the ongoing military operation in Ukraine, prioritizing those with combat experience and the necessary specialist training.
