The State Duma commented on Shevchenko's words about the suspension of the Friends of Russia

The call by the head of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF), Andriy Shevchenko, to ban countries supporting Russia from the Olympic Games is meaningless. This opinion was expressed on December 26 by State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova in an interview with the newspaper Sovetsky Sport.

"So Ukraine wants to compete with itself?! We see a trend — the train of friendly countries, as I call it, is going to Russia, and there are more and more people who want to jump on it. In this regard, these statements simply look meaningless," Zhurova said.

The parliamentarian stressed that Shevchenko actually proposes to exclude China, Brazil, India and almost all of Africa from the Olympic Games. In addition, she noted that such statements form an opinion about the country as a whole.

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On December 25, Shevchenko announced the need to ban all countries that are on the side of Russia from the Olympic Games. At the same time, he called for simultaneous pressure from all sides on the Russian Federation. According to him, it is important that peace in Ukraine be reasonable and acceptable for the country and its European allies.

Two-time Olympic biathlon champion Dmitry Vasilyev, in turn, responded to Shevchenko's appeal on December 26 and noted that such words speak of his unreasonableness. Vasilyev added that all Ukrainian leaders, including Shevchenko, must follow the rules set by the country's authorities.

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