The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was not only felt by the governments and citizens of the two countries, but also to the cats in Russia. Whereas previously FIFA and UEFA banned Russian clubs and national teams from participating in competitions, now cats from Russia are prohibited from competing in any international competitions.
This was revealed by the International Cat Federation (FIFe). They imposed harsh sanctions on cats bred in Russia. These sanctions were issued due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The federation prohibits all cat breeds from Russia from being registered in the FiFe pedigree book abroad. Not only that, all cats belonging to exhibitors living in Russia cannot enter FIFe shows abroad, no matter where they are registered. The ban is said to be in effect until May 31.
"The FIFe Executive Board is shocked and horrified that Russian troops invaded Ukraine and started a war," the FiFe statement read.
"Many innocent people died, many more were injured and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes to save their lives. We can all witness the devastation and chaos this unprecedented act of aggression has caused. just witnessed this atrocity and did nothing," the statement continued.
Reporting from the official website, the group calling itself the "United Nations of Cat Federations" is an international group consisting of 40 countries that regularly holds cat shows around the world. Created in 1949, the group puts on more than 700 shows a year, and more than 200,000 cats have taken part.
FIFe also said that many cat fans felt sad and hopeless trying to care for cats and other animals when Russian troops invaded Ukraine. The federation said its club members in countries bordering Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova were trying to channel aid to animal keepers in Ukraine.
FIFe's board of directors said it would dedicate part of its budget to Ukrainian cat breeders and owners.
"We wish for the sake of our Ukrainian friends that this dire situation will not last much longer and we wish them lots of courage and luck!" said the FIFe statement.
For information, the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on Thursday (24/2). Not a few citizens from both countries died after the war that occurred. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) noted that more than 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine. Half of that number are children.