Kuliak was handed a one-year ban from International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) competitions after wearing the "Z" symbol to show his support for his country's invasion of Ukraine during an event in Doha last March shortly after the war started.

In addition to the suspension, the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF) ordered the 20-year-old to return his bronze medal and prize money of CHF500 (£445/$535/505) and pay legal costs of CHF2,000 (£1,800/$2,150/€2,000).

"By the decision of the international disciplinary commission, Ivan must pay 2,000 Swiss francs towards legal costs," Shapsha said, as reported by Russia's official state-run news agency TASS.

"When we met with Ivan in May last year, he said that he was ready to pay these costs.

"Ivan received the bill at the end of December, and I will soon pay it from personal funds."

Shapsha claims that the actions of Kuliak, who is from Kaluga, "aroused pride in Russian athletes among millions of Russians."

"Of course, Ivan understood what awaited him," Shapsha, a member of Vladimir Putin's United Russia party, added.

"But he boldly expressed his position - the position of a patriot of the Motherland."

The decision on Kuliak's ban was reached as he "breached the FIG statutes, the FIG code of discipline, the FIG code of ethics, the FIG code of conduct and the FIG technical regulations when he wore the letter Z on his singlet during the competition and award ceremony."

Kuliak committed the act at the FIG Apparatus World Cup in Doha, where he also wore the letter during the medal ceremony for the parallel bars, which was won by Ukraine's Ilia Kovtun.

In the same month, Kuliak was among a group of Russian athletes who attended a "pro-victory" rally alongside Putin.

Shapsha has served as Kaluga Governor since September 16 in 2020.

Prior to his political career, he was drafted into the Russian Armed Forces in 1995 and served in the Navy as a reserve officer in Severomorsk for two years.