By Karolos Grohmann and Julien Pretot MILAN, Italy, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Ukraine officials will boycott the Milano Cortina Paralympics next month over the participation of a handful of Russian and Belarusian athletes cleared to compete under their flags,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised the organisers of the 2026 Paralympic Games for allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.

It will mark the first time a Russian flag has been flown at the Paralympics since the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia.