-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
The Russian Paralympic Committee has confirmed that approximately 500 veterans of the Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine are now integrated into Russia’s national and regional Paralympic teams, according to Suspilne News on February 17.
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While a group of Russian and Belarusian athletes recently received approval to compete under their national flags at upcoming international events in Italy this March.
The inclusion of former military personnel, however, has sparked significant debate.
Earlier this week, six Russian and four Belarusian athletes were granted bilateral invitations to compete in the Paralympic Games scheduled for March 6–15. These invitations differ from standard qualifying spots, as they are issued through specific agreements between the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and national committees.
According to the Russian Paralympic Committee, these invitations allow athletes to bypass certain qualification stages if they have earned ranking points but haven't met every standard criterion.
The decision has met with strong opposition from Ukrainian athletes. Skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was previously sanctioned by the IOC for displaying a message honoring fallen Ukrainian athletes, expressed his concerns on social media.
"There are former military personnel in the Russian Paralympic team. This means that yesterday they were killing Ukrainians in Ukraine, and tomorrow they will continue to do so by spreading Russian propaganda on an international level. We must not allow this," Vladyslav Heraskevych said.
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-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
