Earlier, representatives of the International Motor Sport Federation demanded that the racer Sergey Karyakin sign a paper in which he must publicly condemn the special military operation. The athlete was threatened that he would not be allowed to the Dakar rally if he did not sign the paper. Karjakin accused international sports officials of double standards and said that he was not going to give up his country.
Russian special operation to protect the population of Donbass
Recall, on February 17, the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics announced an aggravation of the situation. The republics announced the evacuation of civilians.
On February 21, the leaders of the Donbass republics turned to Russian leader Vladimir Putin with a request to recognize the independence of the DNR and LNR. The head of state held a meeting of the Security Council, after which he announced the recognition of the republics. Friendship and cooperation agreements were also signed with the independent Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The State Duma and the Federation Council ratified these agreements.
On February 23, the heads of the DPR and LPR appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a request to help repel Ukraine’s aggression in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and civilian casualties. On February 24, the Russian leader addressed the nation and announced the start of a special operation in Ukraine to protect Donbass.
