To Executive committee of FIB
Due to the publication of the preliminary decision to organize the World Championships-2015 in Group B in Khabarovsk, Russia, UFBR Executive committee discussed possibility of Ukrainian national team to participate in the World Championships in Russia and unanimously decided that Ukrainian team could not participate in competitions in Russia in the foreseeable future. Since Ukraine's participation in the World Championship in Irkutsk in January situation has been changing radically. After the Russian annexation of the Crimea in March this year relationship between our countries escalated into open conflict. Crimea loss caused damage not only to the country but also to UFBR. We have lost one young team, which delegated 3 players to our debut national team in the World Championship U-15 in Ronneby, Sweden. It definitely affects the moral climate of the rest of the national team players and candidates. The countries currently are in prewar relations. Most of the Russians, sportsmen and ordinary fans, ignore Ukraine's independence and support its territorial separation, which contradicts the statues of UFBR. The Ukrainians relate in its turn the Russian Federation as the aggressor and associate civil war in the country and the economic crisis with Russia. Since the beginning of the crisis in Ukraine, hundreds of people have already been killed, among them there are both friends and relatives of the national team players. National currency rate has fallen by over 30%, the Ukrainians have become more poorer and they are less able to afford to travel or train. Considering the above a possible visit to the Russian Federation will not be approved neither by our sportsmen nor by the supporters. We suppose that such a visit would also create difficulties for the hosts due to an unhealthy interest to Ukrainian citizens. If till the World Championships opening the relations between Ukraine and Russia countries return to a peaceful position, (we pray to God for it), it is absolutely impossible to return to the warm brotherly relations between our peoples.
Considering the above UFBR strongly asks Federation of International Bandy to move the World Championships-2015 in Group B to another country!
Executive committee of the Ukrainian Bandy and rink bandy Federation
