Russian and Belarusian athletes will be barred from the Olympics and other international sporting events over the war in Ukraine

• The International Olympic Committee has recommended bans for Russian and Belarusian athletes.
• Monday's statement from the Olympics governing body comes as Russia's Ukraine invasion intensified.

The International Olympic Committee has taken its most serious measures yet to rebuke Russia and Belarus for their involvement in the war in Ukraine.

In a statement published Monday, the governing body for the Olympics recommended "with a heavy heart" that sports federations across the globe ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international sporting events, including the upcoming games, world championships, and more.

Though the IOC insisted that "the Olympic Movement is united in its sense of fairness not to punish athletes for the decisions of their government if they are not actively participating in them," the committee noted that "the current war in Ukraine, however, puts the Olympic Movement in a dilemma."

"While athletes from Russia and Belarus would be able to continue to participate in sports events, many athletes from Ukraine are prevented from doing so because of the attack on their country," the IOC statement read. "This is a dilemma which cannot be solved."

Due to this severe breach of the Olympic Truce, therefore, the committee resolved "that International Sports Federations and sports event organisers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions."

The IOC also withdrew the Olympic Order — the most prestigious honor issued by the committee — from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Several other high-ranking officials from his country, including Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak, faced similar punishment.

The move comes mere weeks after Putin traveled to China's capital to watch the opening ceremony for the 2022 Winter Olympics first-hand at Beijing's National Stadium. Though Russian athletes technically competed on behalf of the Russian Olympic Committee due to past doping violations, Putin stood and applauded as the ROC made its appearance.

Whether individual sports' governing bodies heed the IOC's call to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from their events remains to be seen. The International Ice Hockey Federation appears to be on the verge of throwing Russia and Belarus out of its ranks, per hockey reporter Pekka Jalonen.

FIFA, which governs international soccer competitions, including the World Cup, initially stopped short of banning any nation in its response to the crisis in Ukraine. Instead, FIFA barred the Russian national team from playing any matches on its home turf or competing under its flag in World Cup qualifiers. They were set to be referred to as RFU, according to ESPN.

But hours after the IOC handed down its sanctions, FIFA increased the severity of its response by booting Russian teams from international competition altogether. Without a drastic about-face from Putin and his government, the Russian men's national team will miss the 2022 World Cup.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine — which has been aided by neighboring Belarus — has intensified in recent days. Putin's forces have looked to seize control of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, in what is considered Europe's most serious ground war since World War II.

While the reaction across the sports world has been swift, the political world's response does not appear to have deterred Putin from directly violating Ukraine's sovereignty. The result will likely have dire consequences across the globe.

Insider's live blog of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is covering developments as they happen.