Ukraine's Foreign Ministry demands IOC investigation over Russian woman carrying Ukraine placard at Olympics opening

Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesman for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, has reacted sharply to the situation involving Russian citizen Anastasia Kucherova, who carried the placard for the Ukrainian team at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Olympics.

Source: Tykhyi at a briefing

Details: Tykhyi described the decision as contrary to the basic principles of international sport and called on the International Olympic Committee to conduct an internal investigation into the incident.

Quote: "The fact of the International Olympic Committee picking a Russian person to carry the main [placard] is despicable. It's beyond any human moral or any principle. I can't even imagine what was going on in the head of the person in the IOC who saw that this Russian applied and approved this application."

Details: Tykhyi emphasised that in international sporting practice, countries at war are usually kept apart to avoid direct contact. In his view, allowing a Russian to accompany the Ukrainian team violates the spirit of the Olympic Charter.

The spokesman also commented on the fact that six Russian and four Belarusian athletes will compete at the 2026 Paralympic Games under their national flags.

Quote: "Unfortunately, this is not the only disgrace coming from the national sports these days. We watch this with great concern and we counter these attempts to '[white]wash' Russian war crimes very actively. The latest was the Olympic decision to allow some of the athletes under the Russian flag. Another shameful decision.

Minister [Andrii] Sybiha has already addressed all of our ambassadors instructing them to approach the officials of all countries who might take part in the Inaugural Ceremony of the Paralympic Games, urging them to refrain from taking part in this ceremony, to boycott it. Because this is a shameful event to have this flag under which 185,000 war crimes have been committed in the past four years, to make this flag wave at the Paralympic Games. Plus some of the members of Ukraine's Paralympic team are veterans, people who directly are victims of this Russian aggression."

Background: At the opening ceremony of the 2026 Olympic Games, Russian citizen Anastasia Kucherova led five Ukrainian athletes into the San Siro stadium in Milan, including Ukraine's flagbearer Yelyzaveta Sydorko and figure skater Kyrylo Marsak.

The 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Milan-Cortina will take place from 6 to 15 March.

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