“I did take part in the elections and became a deputy of the Donetsk People’s Republic, but contrary to the expectations of many of my haters, this position does not exempt from military service,” Mineyev said in a video published on his social media accounts. “I saw an interview where Rasul Magomedaliev suggested that deputies from the SVO are exempted. Yes, indeed, this is true, but, neither in the Donetsk People’s Republic, nor in the Luhansk, nor in Zaporozhye, nor in Kherson there is no such thing, because these are the regions where the wartime regime has been introduced. Therefore, my service continues. It will end just like any other serviceman only with the end of the special military operation”
Vladimir Mineyev, 33, had his last fight on September 15, knocking out former Bellator champion Rafael Carvalho in the second round of a kickboxing bout before returning to the Special Military Operations zone.
A week later, AMC Fight Nights president Kamil Gadzhiev signed a contract on behalf of Mineyev for two fights with Ivan Shtyrkov, the first of which the Russian fighters will fight on November 18 in Sochi under kickboxing rules, and in 2024 will conclude their confrontation with a rematch under mixed martial arts rules.