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In recent days, Russia has pressed on with its siege of cities along Ukraineâs southern coast. Mariupol, for one, has sustained âbombardment of critical civilian infrastructureâ intended to force the cityâs surrender, a senior Western intelligence official said. City authorities in Mariupol and Kherson have issued stark warnings of a humanitarian âcatastropheâ as critical supplies for residents dwindle.
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Russia, Belarus barred from International Federation of Gymnastics competitions
Return to menuThe International Federation of Gymnastics announced a temporary ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes and judges from participating in its future competitions, shifting from its previous decision to allow the athletes to compete under a neutral flag, according to a statement posted Friday on the organizationâs website.
The federation, which governs gymnastics worldwide, joins the administrative bodies of other professional sports including the International Skating Union â and, most notably, the International Paralympic Committee â in sanctioning Russia and its ally Belarus in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. The International Federation of Gymnastics said its decision was based partly on the recommendation from the International Olympic Committee as well as âthe deep concerns and positionsâ expressed by its member nations.
The prohibition, which will start March 7, bars Russian and Belarusian participants from taking part in next weekâs Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships.
The purpose of the ban is aimed at âpreserving the integrity of Gymnastics, the safety and integrity of members and all athletes and participants, and at fighting against all forms of violence and of sports injustice,â the federationâs statement said.
Getting weapons to Ukraine: Western allies scramble to deliver
Return to menuAs Russiaâs military buildup pressed against Ukraineâs border in late January and early February, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov celebrated the arrival of weapons from the West, illustrating his near-daily tweets with photographs of smiling men in uniform unloading heavy pallets from cargo aircraft.
âThe 8th [American] bird has arrived in Kyiv!â Reznikov exulted on Feb. 5. âOur partners from #USA have sent more than 650 tons of defense ammunition to Ukraine! To be continued.â
The last such message came on Feb. 23, the day before Russia invaded.
There have been no known air deliveries since then. Ukraineâs airspace is now part of a war zone that no Western nation wants to enter, even as the United States and its allies and partners pledge to deliver more weaponry for the fight.
NATO territory to the west â where Ukraine borders Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania â provides the only still-uncontested ground access. But east-west roads that can handle truck transport into Ukraine are few, and most are clogged with refugees fleeing the country.
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