The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has decided to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags at the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics in 2026. This reverses the ban that was imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Russia and Belarus will send a total of 10 para-athletes to the Games. Russia will have six spots: two each in Para alpine skiing, Para cross-country skiing, and Para snowboard. Belarus will have four spots, all in Para cross-country skiing. Ukraine has strongly opposed the decision. Ukraine’s Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi tweeted, "The decision by the @Paralympics organisers to allow killers and their accomplices to compete at the Paralympic Games under national flags is both disappointing and outrageous." He added that the Russian and Belarusian flags "have no place at international sporting events that stand for fairness, integrity, and respect." He accused Russia of turning paralympic sport into a tool of war, saying it supports those "whom Putin sent to Ukraine to kill – and who returned from Ukraine with injuries and disabilities." Russia and Belarus were banned from Paralympic events after the invasion but were reinstated after a member vote in September 2025. While international federations maintained bans, Russia and Belarus successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December to regain eligibility in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding. Currently, a limited number of Russian and Belarusian athletes compete as neutral athletes without flags at the ongoing Winter Games. However, the IPC ruling means they can use their own countries’ flags at the 2026 Paralympics from March 6 to 15. Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych expressed anger over the ruling. He was disqualified last week from the skeleton event for wearing a helmet showing Ukrainian athletes killed in the conflict. Heraskevych told Reuters, "It’s absurd that they gift some quotas."