Russia to Host Iran, Belarus, and Cuba in Ufa Friendlies
Russia's men's national team will host Iran, Belarus, and Cuba in friendly matches in Ufa from August 21-23, ahead of a return to international competition.
Russia's men's national volleyball team will play international friendly matches against Iran, Belarus, and Cuba in Ufa from August 21 to 23, the Russian Volleyball Federation announced. The matches, held at the Dvorets Borby arena, are an important part of Russia's preparation for a return to the international competitive calendar.
Ufa previously hosted Russia's last official men's matches on home soil, during the 2019 Nations League group stage, when the team defeated Italy, the United States, and Portugal, all by 3-0 scorelines, at the Ufa-Arena.
The schedule for the upcoming friendlies is: Russia vs. Iran on Friday, August 21, at 17:00 Moscow time; Russia vs. Belarus on Saturday, August 22, at 17:00; and Russia vs. Cuba on Sunday, August 23, at 17:00. All matches will be broadcast live on the Volleyball TV channel, with tickets already on sale.
The Russian squad includes setters Pavel Pankov (Dynamo) and Roman Poroshin (Belogorie); outside hitters Denis Bogdan, Dmitry Volkov, and Anton Semyshev (all Dynamo), and Omar Kurbanov (Lokomotiv); opposites Maxim Sapozhkov (Dynamo) and Ilya Kazachenkov (Lokomotiv); middle blockers Ilya Vlasov and Dmitry Zhuk (both Dynamo), Dmitry Lyzik (Lokomotiv), and Roman Romanovsky (Zenit-Kazan); and liberos Evgeny Baranov (Dynamo) and Ilya Fedorov (Zenit-Kazan).
