Who are the Gazprom-RusVelo cycling team and how are they linked to the Russian government?

The Russian team are in the spotlight after the invasion of Ukraine

Gazprom-RusVelo
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to economic sanctions on the individuals and companies tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin. One such company that might face tightening restrictions on its activities across Europe is Gazprom, the Russian majority state-owned energy company that gives its name to the Gazprom-RusVelo cycling team.

Last Friday, the team's Czech rider Mathias Vacek won stage six of the UAE Tour, and the squad have been highly visible all week, with Dmitry Strakhov leading the intermediate sprints competition at the race. The timing of the Russian team's success while Russian forces are in Ukraine has attracted the fierce glare of the spotlight.

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Adam Becket
News editor

Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing, speaking to people as varied as Demi Vollering to Philippe Gilbert. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.