MOSCOW, 28 Feb. The chairmen of the ice hockey federations of Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic have decided not to invite the Russian team to the remaining stages of the Eurotour, according to a message on the website of the Swedish Hockey Association. «The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a terrible situation, and we in the hockey world fully support the people Ukraine. Therefore, the invitation of the Russian national hockey team to the Euro Hockey Tour tournaments in Stockholm, Helsinki and Prague is completely unthinkable at the moment, with which we fully agree,» said Anders Larsson, chairman of the Swedish Hockey Association. This decision applies to both men's and women's and junior teams of Russia. Two more stages are planned for the current season — in Sweden and the Czech Republic. Tournament organizers are considering inviting another team to replace the Russian team. The Russians, after two past stages, ranks second in the standings, gaining 13 points in seven matches. On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had decided on a special military operation to demilitarize Ukraine. In a televised address to the Russians, he said that the circumstances «require decisive and immediate action from us, the people's republics of Donbass turned to Russia with a request for help.» On February 21, Putin signed decrees recognizing the sovereignty of the LPR and the DPR.
