MOSCOW, February 24 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) strongly condemns the violation of the Olympic truce from Russia, according to the website of the organization. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday that in response to the appeal of the leaders of the republics of Donbass, he decided to conduct a special military operation. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow's plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Russian military does not strike at the cities of Ukraine, military infrastructure is disabled by high-precision means. Nothing threatens the civilian population, the department assured. «The IOC strongly condemns Russia's violation of the Olympic truce. The relevant UN resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 2, 2021 by consensus of all 193 UN member states. The Olympic truce began seven days before the start of the Olympic Games and ends seven days after the closing of the Paralympic Games,» the statement said. «Today, IOC President Thomas Bach repeats his call for peace, which he made in his speeches at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games. At the opening ceremony, he called on the political authorities » adhere to the commitment to the Olympic Truce and give peace a chance.» At the closing ceremony, he asked political leaders to «be inspired by the example of solidarity and peace» set by Olympic athletes. Following recent events, the IOC is deeply concerned about the security of the Olympic community in Ukraine. It has created a task force to closely monitor and the situation and coordination of humanitarian assistance to members of the Olympic community in Ukraine, where possible,» the IOC said in a statement. The Beijing Olympics were held from February 4 to 20. The Paralympic Games will take place from 4 to 13 March.
