The International ice hockey federation (IIHF) has reprimanded the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) after Russian clubs promoted messages in support of the Ukraine war, the IIHF said on Friday.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February in what Moscow calls a "special military operation". Kyiv calls it an unprovoked war of aggression, reflecting what it sees as malice towards Ukrainians dating back to Soviet and imperial days.
The IIHF said that signs shown by fans at stadiums, which did not look hand made, appeared in different arenas and there were posters and billboards with a political context of a more permanent nature at the venues and the clubs published photos with pro-war messages on their social media accounts.
