The Disciplinary and Ethics Commission of the All-Russian Volleyball Federation imposed a sanction on Lokomotiv Kaliningrad's libero, Olga Kostyukevich, who will miss one match and pay a fine of 50,000 rubles. The decision was made after an incident during the match against Zarechye, which the Kaliningrad team lost 1:3 sets. The Russian BO Sport reported the incident.

According to the official report, the 29-year-old player showed her middle finger to the first referee, Alexander Pavlov, after one of the many controversial moments in the match. The gesture was recorded by the refereeing crew and documented as "insulting an official," which automatically leads to a mandatory sanction.

With the commission's decision, Kostyukevich will miss Lokomotiv's upcoming home match against Metar, scheduled for November 14.

The Kaliningrad team occupies 4th place in the championship, having won four of its first seven matches this season.

Lokomotiv's position remains stable in the upper half of the table, but the absence of the main libero in the next match could be a factor. The team often relies on stability in reception and saved balls in defense, and such a personnel blow at a key point in the calendar could lead to changes in the rotation and the workload of the other players.

An interesting detail is that Radoslav Arsov, the current coach of Levski, worked at the Kaliningrad club during the 2023/24 season, when he was part of the coaching staff of the women's team. Kostyukevich was not on the team then; she joined the "railroaders" this season, coming from Hristina Vuchkova's club, Proton Saratov.