Ukraine considers the decision of the General Assembly of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in Seoul shameful, as it chose not to extend the partial suspension of the national Paralympic committees of Belarus and the Russian Federation.

The restrictions, including those against the Russian Paralympic Committee, have been in place since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian invasion continues, as do Russian atrocities against Ukrainians, yet for some reason the IPC General Assembly has decided to change its stance. In reality, the only thing that has changed is that IPC officials seem to have lost the remnants of their conscience.

This “about-face” also takes place against the backdrop of Russia’s refusal of peace and its escalating terror against Ukrainians and provocations against other European countries. It effectively encourages Russian aggression, terror, and killings, and fosters impunity for the Russian and Belarusian regimes at a time when the entire international community is working to increase pressure on Moscow to force it toward peace.

The IPC’s decision draws international sport into politics and war propaganda, as Moscow has used sport as a propaganda tool since Soviet times. Well-known Russian and Belarusian coaches and athletes openly express support for Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine and take part in the propaganda activities of the Putin regime. Many “Paralympians” from Russia and Belarus have directly participated in the bloody war against the Ukrainian people, earning notoriety for their “heroism” and cruelty.

We call on the entire sporting world – states, sports institutions, all athletes and coaches who have not lost their moral compass – to condemn this shameful decision and demand its reversal. We appeal to Italy to ensure that Russian flags – under which Ukrainians are being killed today – do not appear during competitions. Russian and Belarusian athletes and their symbols must not be allowed back into international sporting events until Russia ends its genocidal war against Ukraine.