A growing number of countries are refusing to play against Russian national ice hockey teams and introducing their own restrictions. We are grateful to our partners for maintaining their principled stance despite the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling on Russia’s return to international competitions.

Eight countries — Czechia, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, France, Austria, Norway, and Latvia — have already announced that they will not play against Russian national teams. Canada, which will host the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, has also stated that it will not allow the Russian team to participate in the tournament.

As long as Russia continues to kill Ukrainians, destroy peaceful cities, and threaten Europe, its return to international sport is unacceptable. No arbitration ruling can change the fact that Russia remains an aggressor state. International sport must not become a platform for whitewashing its crimes.

We thank the countries and international federations that uphold these principles and call on others to take the same stance.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, and national sports federations, will continue working with international partners to advance a position grounded in the principles of fairness, international law, and shared values.