Heart of Midlothian's opening Europa Conference League opponents Dinamo Minsk have been rocked after two of their Russian stars were told they won't be able to play in some of their key games in the competition.
The managerless Tynecastle club have to travel to Azerbaijan next week to kick off the new-look format for the tournament in Sumgait in a behind-closed-doors match.
They face a Dinamo Minsk side who are banned from playing in their home country of Belarus because of UEFA sanctions against them and Russia.
Two of their key men are Russian - former Lokomotiv Moscow midfielder Daniil Kulikov and ex-Dinamo Moscow playmaker Igor Shkolik.
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And the club have been told the Russian duo will be refused entry for their next two fixtures after they play Hearts.
Dinamo travel to play HJK Helsinki and then Legia Warsaw away and both Finland and Poland refuse to allow entry to any Russian citizens, even for sporting events, because of their strong support for Ukraine in the conflict.
Last year, Russian tennis player Vera Zvonareva was blocked from entering Poland for 'reasons of state security and public safety' and Russian athletes have been repeatedly denied entry to Poland and have not been allowed to board Polish airlines despite having purchased a ticket.
Dinamo also have to travel to Greece to face Panathinaikos but they have been told not to expect any issues there with their Russian players.
