Degtyarev asked the countries boycotting the Paralympics after the US strikes

On February 28, Russian Sports Minister and Chairman of the Russian Olympic Committee Mikhail Degtyarev addressed Finland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland and Estonia with a question about a possible boycott of the Paralympic Games in Italy after the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran.

"Will representatives of Finland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland and Estonia boycott the Paralympic Games because of the participation of the US and Israeli national teams in them in light of their countries' attacks on Iran?" wrote Degtyarev on the social network X (ex. Twitter).

In addition, the head of the Ministry of Sports noted the accounts of the Paralympic Games, the Finnish Paralympic Committee and Western media.

The press service of the Paralympic Games announced on February 20 that athletes from the Czech Republic would not take part in the opening ceremony. The relevant decision, as it is specified, was made by the Czech side because the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) lifted the measures restricting participation in competitions of Russians.

Representatives of the Italian Paralympic Committee said on the same day that their organization adheres to the position of Russian athletes participating in the Paralympics under a neutral flag and without the national anthem.

Israel launched a preemptive strike against Iran. What is known

Israel launched a preemptive strike on Iran on the morning of February 28. Also, the American leader Donald Trump announced the beginning of a US military operation against Iran. Military installations in western Iran, the residence of the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as an elementary school in the city of Minab were hit.

Later, Iran fired rockets towards Israel. The US Fifth Fleet maintenance center was shelled in Bahrain. In addition, Iran attacked four US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Against this background, the United States began evacuating some personnel from the Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar.

At the same time, the IDF launched a massive airstrike on military installations in western Iran. The city of Shiraz was attacked. In addition, 70,000 Israeli reservists were called up for military service.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation around Iran with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia demands that the situation around Iran be immediately brought back to a political and diplomatic settlement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned the "unprovoked armed attack" by the United States and Israel on Iran.

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