"We held a videoconference on patriotism and gave recommendations on how to behave: not to stand next to Russian sportsmen, not to take pictures with them," Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Guttsait said in a statement. an interview published on Wednesday on the sports news site tribuna.ua, saying he feared "provocations" against Ukrainian athletes.
«Cela fait huit ans que c’est la guerre et la situation s’envenime encore à la frontière, nos athlètes doivent donc vraiment contrôler leurs émotions dans de telles situations», a-t-il poursuivi, précisant que Kiev ne pouvait que «recommander», et non «obliger», les sportifs à se conduire ainsi.
Tandis que Kiev a appelé dimanche la Russie à retirer ses troupes massées le long de la frontière avec l’Ukraine, le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU se tient ce lundi dans une ambiance de plus en plus pressante pour le Kremlin... Le point sur la situation ⤵️ https://t.co/flWpAFVClZ
— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) January 31, 2022"I find it very unfortunate (...), I understand that friendships dating back several years bind our athletes, who train together," he admitted.
“But you have to understand that during competitions they are competitors, it is a country with which we are at war”.
Despite an institutional doping scandal, "clean" Russian athletes are allowed to participate in the Games under a neutral banner in Beijing.
After a pro-Western revolution in Kiev, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014. Soon after, an insurgency broke out by Moscow-sponsored separatists who control part of eastern Ukraine.
The conflict claimed more than 13,000 lives and has never completely ceased.
Diplomatic incident at Euro 2021
Russia is now accused by the West of having massed tens of thousands of soldiers on the border of its neighbor in anticipation of a possible invasion.
Moscow denies any bellicose intentions, but conditions the de-escalation on a list of requirements, necessary according to it to guarantee its security, in particular the assurance that Ukraine will never be a member of NATO and that the Alliance withdraws its men on its 1997 positions.
During Euro 2021 football last summer, the jersey of the Ukrainian team found itself at the heart of a diplomatic incident due to the presence on the Ukrainian outfit of a map of the country including Crimea and separatist areas, as well as two Ukrainian patriotic slogans deemed nationalist by Moscow: “Glory to Ukraine!
Glory to the Heroes!
»
Seized by Russia, UEFA gave him partial reason and asked Kiev, after negotiations, to cover this second formula, embroidered inside the shirt, with a mini map of the country.