MOSCOW, 28 Feb. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to revoke the Olympic Orders from all persons currently holding important positions in the government of the Russian Federation, according to the official website of the IOC. «The Executive Committee of the Committee, based on the exceptional circumstances of the situation and taking into account extremely serious violations of the Olympic Truce and the Olympic Charter by the Russian government in the past, took a special decision to withdraw the Olympic Order from all persons currently holding important positions in the government of the Russian Federation or other positions related to state power,» the press release says. IOC. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko and Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Dmitry Kozak were among those deprived of orders. On February 25, the IOC called on all international federations to postpone or cancel competitions in Russia and Belarus after the President 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.
