The UCI, along with the IOC and other sports federations, issued a press release Friday condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and calling for a diplomatic solution to the crisis; the UCI issued an erroneous statement* saying that no UCI-sanctioned competitions are scheduled in Russia in 2022.

The UCI said Russia's invasion violated the Olympic Truce Agreement, which aims to promote peace and understanding through sport; on December 2, 2021, UN member states (including Russia, which is a member of the UCI) agreed to a cease-fire, which would allow Russia to compete in the Olympic Games.

The Armistice Agreement calls for cessation of hostilities between the countries from February 4 until March 20, seven days after the Paralympic Games end, to ensure the safe passage of athletes to and from the Games in Beijing.

"Sport and cycling have often paved the way for peace and dialogue,"

"These values must inspire the Russian government to cease hostilities and allow dialogue to resume to give this military action a chance for a peaceful resolution."

The move follows UEFA's announcement that the Champions League finals will be moved from Russia and held in Saint-Denis, France, rather than St. Petersburg as previously planned. F1 cancelled the Russian round altogether after Sebastian Vettel announced that he would not compete in the Sochi round of F1 in September.

The UAE Tour highlighted the role of sport in the conflict with a stage win for Matthias Vacek in the colors of Gazprom Rusvelo. The team's sponsor is a Russian state-owned company and a major supporter of international sports. The FC Schalke 04 soccer team announced after the invasion that it would remove Gazprom from its jerseys, and one of the Gazprom executives who served on the team's board stepped down. The Haas F1 team announced that it would remove the brand of its title sponsor, Russian fertilizer exporter Uralkali, from its cars this weekend.

The UCI stated that it is "watching developments in Ukraine with concern and firmly condemns violations of international law and Ukraine's territorial integrity" and called for "an immediate cessation of hostilities and believes that the only way forward is through diplomatic channels."

There is no indication that the UCI is considering excluding Gazprom Rusvelo from the final stage of the UAE Tour or any race. The team itself has not issued any statement about the invasion, nor has it been mentioned on official channels.

However, the UCI did announce that it had placed a Ukrainian flag in front of the Aigle headquarters in solidarity with "the innocent citizens facing this terrible conflict," and that "our thoughts are not only with the Ukrainian people, but also with the Ukrainian cycling community.

*Two track events will be held in May, the Grand Prix of Moscow and the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, both currently listed on the UCI website as sanctioned Class 2 events. Also in June, the Five Rings of Moscow is a 2.2 ranked road race.