Know

Russian athletes will compete under their genocidal rag at the upcoming Winter Paralympics. It will mark the first time a russian flag has been flown at a Paralympic Games since the Sochi 2014 Games. I am at a loss for words. It was already appalling that russian athletes were allowed to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics. And now they can do so while proudly waving their genocidal rag. While Ukrainian athletes are being killed by russians, russian athletes are being rewarded with participation in the Olympics. Don’t even try to tell me that these are “different russians” and that they are not accountable for the actions of their government. No — they are accountable for their silence, complacency, and inaction. Moreover, many of them actively support their government and the genocide against the Ukrainian people. 1.Sport and government are inseparable in russia. Sport is financed by the state. Olympic medalists are paid by russian authorities. 2.Russian athletes are members of the russian military. Despite competing under a so-called “neutral” flag at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, russian military athletes won 14 out of 32 medals. These are the same military servicemen who are killing Ukrainians at this very moment. 3.Most russian athletes support the war and the russian regime. They can be seen standing side by side with Putin at major events, delivering patriotic speeches, and proudly wearing the “Z” symbol. 4.russia uses sport as a propaganda tool. Even if a russian athlete wins an Olympic medal under a white flag, the russian state will use it for propaganda and imperial purposes. 5.Ukrainian athletes must be protected. Hundreds have been killed by russians. Hundreds more have lost their limbs and will never compete again. Those who survived and can still compete face enormous disadvantages, as hundreds of sports facilities across Ukraine have been destroyed by the russian military. At this stage, I don’t even care about the Olympics. They have lost whatever credibility they had left. Wait a second… they had none.

🚨 NEW: MPs backing the Assisted Dying Bill are preparing to use the 1911 Parliament Act to force through the law if it’s blocked by the Lords [@guardian]