The IOC disqualifies Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych over his “helmet of remembrance”. Overnight Russian attacks knock out heating to hundreds of apartment buildings in Odesa, Dnipro and Kyiv. Ukrainian drones strike an oil refinery in Russia’s Komi Republic.
IOC disqualifies Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych over “helmet of remembrance”
Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday over his “helmet of remembrance” depicting Ukrainian athletes killed in Russia’s war.
Heraskevych wore the helmet in all his training runs before the competition began and wished to compete while wearing it. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said this contravened the Olympic charter. They cited the charter’s rules which state: “It is a fundamental principle that sport at the Olympic Games is neutral and must be separate from political, religious and any other type of interference.”
At the same time, Italian snowboarder Roland Fischnaller competed with a Russian flag on his helmet.
According to Ukrainian media, Heraskevych said he is planning to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
He said he was convinced he did not violate any rules and that the IOC did not provide a clear explanation for his disqualification.
In an interview with Ukraine’s Suspilne Sport, Mykhailo Heraskevych, father of Vladyslav Heraskevych and coach of the national skeleton team called on IOC President Kirsty Coventry to resign after Vladyslav was barred from competing.
“Ms. Coventry who chairs the IOC spoke about the equality of all athletes. What she did together with the IBSF’s [International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation] team crosses out that statement, because it is not about equality, but about dictatorship,” Mykhailo Heraskevych said.
“We still believe in the Olympic Movement and its values, but we have no faith left in the current IOC presidency. If the IOC presidency has any honor, they should immediately file a resignation,” he added.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyi later awarded Heraskevych the Order of Freedom, for “his dedicated service to the Ukrainian people, civic courage, and patriotism in defending the ideals of freedom and democratic values.”
Overnight Russian attacks knock out heating to hundreds of apartment buildings in Odesa, Dnipro, Kyiv
Russia’s major drone and missile attacks overnight on Thursday targeted critical civilian and energy infrastructure in the cities of Kyiv and Dnipro as well as in the regions of Odesa and Sumy, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration — Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram.
The water supply was cut off to around 300,000 consumers in Odesa as a result of power outages. Almost 200 apartment buildings were left with no heating. Works to restart the systems were underway, Kuleba said, adding that reserve power sources were used wherever possible.
A Russian drone and missile attack knocked out heating to 10,000 consumers in the city of Dnipro. An alternative source of heat was to replace it, Kuleba said. Modular boiler houses were started to warm up community facilities.
In Kyiv, Russia targeted heat generating facilities. Kuleba said 2,600 buildings were left without heating after the strike in addition to 1,100 buildings that already were without heating due to previous attacks one of which heavily damaged the Darnytska combined heat and power plant. Water supply and wastewater systems were operational, he added.
Some 107,000 households in Kyiv’s Desnyanskyi district were left without power early on Thursday following a Russian drone and missile attack overnight, DTEK, Ukraine’s private energy company said.
Russia also targeted a large power substation in Odesa region, causing “considerable damage,” the company said in a separate message on Thursday.
Ukraine drones strike oil refinery in Russia’s Komi Republic
Ukrainian drones struck the Ukhta refinery in Russia’s Komi Republic overnight on Thursday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
The strike caused fire to a section of atmospheric and vacuum distillation of crude oil and a visbreaker.
The refinery, owned by Lukoil, has the capacity to process 4.2 million tons of crude per year. Its main products are gasoline, diesel fuel, mazut and vacuum gas oil. The facility is involved in supplying the Russian army, the message reads.
The Ukhta oil refinery is located around 1,750 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. An unnamed source in Ukraine’s Security Service told Ukrainska Pravda that it was the first time Ukrainian drones have flown so far.
Russia’s defense ministry said it had intercepted 106 drones across the country on Thursday.