Statement of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine on the decisions of FIFA and UEFA on the admission of Russians to inter

At least 19,000 children were abducted from Ukraine and taken to Russia. The Russian military destroyed 2,767 educational institutions in Ukraine. 344 sports facilities have been damaged. 95 of them were completely or partially destroyed by Russia.

The occupying Russian regime continues to kill and abduct Ukrainian children, destroying civilian infrastructure, including stadiums and sports schools, leaving Ukrainian children no opportunity to play sports or live a normal life.

Thus, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has killed 504 children and injured 1129 more as a result of Russian aggression. We have already documented 3209 crimes committed by the Russian occupiers against children, including 13 cases of sexual violence against minors.

Aggressive Russia has deprived Ukrainian children not only of the opportunity to train, but also to live peacefully and safely. It has deprived hundreds of our children of their lives. At the same time, UEFA and FIFA are returning Russian children to compete, who, through the fault of this body, will be convinced that their country has the right to kill others and is doing the right thing.

We demand that the decisions of FIFA and UEFA be cancelled as they restrict the rights of Ukrainian children who have been deprived by Russia of the right to train safely and simply live in their home country without the threat of being kidnapped, raped or killed.

Ukraine has asked all UEFA member associations to join the boycott of any matches with Russia. The football associations of England, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, and Romania have already officially announced such a boycott. Several other countries - Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Estonia - have said they are waiting for further explanations from UEFA.

We firmly believe that football should always promote peace, tolerance and justice, not encourage the continuation of war and promote impunity.

We call on FIFA and UEFA to stand up to the violence and aggression of the Russian Federation. We will firmly defend this position as long as Russia is at war against Ukraine and until peace is restored on the European continent.