Nine members of Russia’s delegation for the EUBC European Confederation Championships have reportedly been denied entry to host country Ukraine ©RBF

Nine members of Russia’s delegation for the EUBC European Confederation Championships, including top boxer Georgy Kushitashvili, have reportedly been denied entry to host country Ukraine.

Oleg Slobodyan, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian border guards, told AFP the decision was taken because all nine people have illegally visited Crimea.

Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has imposed travel bans on numerous Russian politicians and celebrities who have since visited.

"Part of the [Russian] delegation - nine persons out of a total of 39 - was barred from entering Ukraine," Slobodyan said.

Kushitashvili was considered a strong contender for success in the 81 kilograms category at the 11-day Championships scheduled to begin in Kharkiv on Friday (June 16).

The event is one of five continental qualifiers for the 2017 AIBA World Championships in Hamburg, due to take place from August 25 to September 3.

Russian Boxing Federation (RBF) spokeswoman Vlada Romanova told AFP that Ukrainian officers stopped her at a check-point at Kharkiv railway station.

She was deported back to Russia along with Kushitashvili, two journalists and several RBF supporting staff.

"The border guards and the customs officers examined our documents and luggage for hours without any explanation," Romanova said.

"Later they told us that we would all be deported as we have violated Ukraine's laws with our unauthorised visits to Crimea - Ukraine's annexed territory."

The EUBC European Championships in Kharkiv in Ukraine is one of five continental qualifiers for the 2017 AIBA World Boxing Championships in Hamburg ©AIBA
The EUBC European Championships in Kharkiv in Ukraine is one of five continental qualifiers for the 2017 AIBA World Boxing Championships in Hamburg ©AIBA

RBF secretary general Umar Kremlev had earlier told Russia's official Government news agency TASS that Ukrainian organisers of the Championships had initially provided the Russian delegation with all required guarantees regarding security and the country’s participation at the event.

"The Ukrainian side is discrediting itself," he said.

"We see no reasons why our delegation should be treated this way and still have no official response from Ukraine."

Kremlev also confirmed to Russian news agency R-Sport that Muslim Gadzhimagomedov will substitute Kushitashvili at the Championships.

"We're putting Gadzhimagomedov on our team's roster urgently," he said.

"He will fly to Kharkiv to replace Kushitashvili."

insidethegames has contacted the EUBC for comment.

Russia did not participate in last month's Eurovision song contest in Kyiv due to the country's entrant, Yulia Samoylova, being barred by host nation Ukraine.

Samoylova had previously toured Crimea in 2015.