Ukraine blamed a Russian disinformation campaign Thursday after fake news posted online about its Winter Olympics team, including a story criticising an athlete disqualified for trying to highlight war deaths.

The luge team representing Ukraine took a collective knee, raising their helmets over their heads after the relay event in solidarity with disqualified teammate Vladyslav Heraskevych.

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych said he hoped "truth would prevail" as he appealed to sport's highest court on Friday following his Olympic ban as US figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin eyed a second gold of the Milan-Cortina Games.

Wearing a helmet commemorating Ukrainian athletes killed by Russia is not allowed, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled on Feb. 12. Vladyslav Heraskevych, Ukraine's skeleton racer, was scheduled to compete in his thirdOlympic Games on Feb.

Ukraine's Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi believes the decision to disqualify Vladyslav Heraskevych from his skeleton event at the Milano Cortina Games was unjust but told Reuters there was no question of his team pulling out of the Olympics.

The IOC announced its decision to remove his accreditation before Heraskevych's first heats Thursday in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

A Ukrainian skeleton racer has been disqualified from the Winter Olympics over his “helmet of remembrance."

Vladyslav Heraskevych, a skeleton athlete for Team Ukraine, was disqualified after refusing to change helmets at the Milan Cortina Games.

Ukrainian figure skater Kyrylo Marsak was exhausted last summer as he trained for the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics. Drained, anxious and often unable to sleep, the 21-year-old could not stop thinking about his family back in Ukraine: His father is in the army on the front lines and his mother is in Kyiv,