Ufa was chosen as one of the host cities for the third week of the women's VNL season between June 28 and July 3, while Kemerovo was slated to host men's week-three games from July 5 to 10.

The FIVB has not announced new hosts for these events.

The decision to move the games is a change of direction for FIVB, which had so far said it was "monitoring the situation" but was yet to move any events from Russia.

Russia is notably scheduled to hold the Men’s Volleyball World Championship later this year.

The FIVB has not yet stripped the country of this honour.

"The FIVB is deeply concerned by the escalating conflict in Ukraine and sincerely hopes a peaceful resolution can be found urgently for the people of Ukraine," the organisation told insidethegames on Friday (February 25), following an International Olympic Committee call for Russia and Belarus to be stripped of all international sporting events.

"The FIVB will continue to follow the situation very closely and is in regular dialogue to review all the latest developments, and determine whether there should be any changes to the existing plans for the FIVB calendar 2022 including the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship in August-September 2022."

The World Championship is scheduled to be held in 10 Russian cities from August 26 to September 11.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had already banned Russia from hosting major events, such as the World Championships, as part of sanctions imposed against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency for manipulation of data from the Moscow Laboratory.

Despite the Court of Arbitration (CAS) halving the sanction from its original length of four years in December 2020, the CAS ruled Russia should be stripped of any major events it already has the right to host "unless it is legally or practically impossible to do so" until December 2022.

The FIVB has said WADA acknowledged the tournament fits this exemption.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday (February 24), hundreds have been killed in the fighting and more than 350,000 people have fled the country.

The International Judo Federation, UEFA, International Federation of Sport Climbing, International Ski Federation and International Canoe Federation are among the governing bodies to have cancelled events in Russia in response.