“It is immoral to hide behind neutrality”: Ukraine’s Foreign Minister invites IOC Head to Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast

Dmytro Kuleba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, invites the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Thomas Bach, and other sports officials to the city of Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, to see the consequences of Russia's attacks on Ukrainian athletes. Source: Kuleba on Instagram Quote: "I invite all sports officials who seek to allow Russian athletes to participate in international competitions, because 'sport is beyond politics', including IOC President Thomas Bach, to visit Altair [ice rink previously attacked by the Russian forces - ed.] and personally verify the 'sports neutrality' of Russia.

Maybe then there will be an understandinding why it is immoral to hide behind abstract 'neutrality' in such a situation.

Russia and Belarus must be held fully responsible for their crimes against peace, and their athletes cannot participate in international competitions as if nothing had happened." Details: According to the Foreign Minister, a foreign politician or sports functionary should look at the Altair ice rink in Druzhkivka, destroyed by Russian attacks, before saying that "politics should be kept out of sports". Kuleba noted that Ukrainian and international competitions used to be held at the ice rink, children and adults trained there as well.

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"It was not just a sports facility, but one of the key rinks for the development of Ukrainian sports and the largest ice hockey and figure skating school in Ukraine. The only strikes that used to take place here were penalty shots in hockey. Until the 'depoliticised' Russian bombs struck it," Kuleba outraged.

Background: On the evening of 2 January, Russian troops launched three missile strikes on the city of Druzhkivka in Donetsk Oblast. They destroyed the Altair Ice Rink, damaged the MAN hotel, bus station, church, residential building, and outbuildings.

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