Mierinya: The Aggressor State Attempts to Legitimize Its War Crimes Through Sports

The aggressor state is attempting to legitimize its war crimes through sports, stated the Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mierinya during a meeting with the Vice-Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Elena Kondratyuk.

According to the press service of the Saeima, in a conversation with Kondratyuk, the speaker stated that the disqualification of Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych at the Olympics and the ban on Ukrainian athletes wearing helmets symbolizing support for the Ukrainian people have caused a resonance in Latvian society, which condemned the decisions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Mierinya stated that Latvia will continue to do everything possible to clarify to the world the nature of the Russian aggressor. Russia uses so-called soft power, and this is vividly manifested in sports. On Thursday, the Saeima, responding to the ban, unanimously expressed support for Ukrainian athletes and condemned the actions of the IOC, which equated the tribute to those who died in Ukraine's defensive war with war propaganda.

The Vice-Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament stated that what happened not only demonstrated the strength of Ukrainian athletes but also showed the world the double standards of sports organizations.

She also thanked Latvia for its comprehensive support, including military assistance. This year, Latvia will continue to allocate at least 0.25% of its gross domestic product for military support to Ukraine, which will amount to 110 million euros.

Russian attacks continue, and the number of civilian casualties is significantly rising, said Kondratyuk. This winter is particularly harsh, as Russia is conducting a "genocide by cold," striking at Ukraine's energy infrastructure and leaving people without heat. But spring is just around the corner, and Russia is failing to break the spirit of resistance of the Ukrainian people, emphasized the Vice-Speaker.

Mierinya also expressed support for Ukraine's accession to the European Union (EU) and NATO.

Only constant pressure on Russia can stop Russian aggression, emphasized the Speaker of the Saeima, noting that the EU is working on the next package of sanctions against Russia, which will cover the energy, financial, and military-industrial sectors, as well as eliminate the possibility of circumventing sanctions.

Kondratyuk also met with Saeima Secretary Edvards Smiltenš, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Commission Ināra Mūrniece, and Head of the Deputy Group for Cooperation with the Ukrainian Parliament Jānis Skrastinš.