UFA, October 17. /TASS/. The Russian national ice hockey team plans holding exhibition matches against Belarus and Kazakhstan next May, Dmitry Kurbatov, the director general of the Russian Hockey Federation (RHF), told TASS on Thursday.

"Is there any specific information about our matches against Belarus in May 2025? Yes, there is, but I am unable to disclose the exact dates at the moment," Kurbatov told TASS, speaking on the sidelines of the 'Russia - Country of Sports' annual international sports forum.

"First, we’ll play in Kazakhstan, because the Kazakh national ice hockey team later sets off for the [2025 IIHF] World Championship. Then, we will play another match, maybe two, in Russia and after that we will travel to Belarus," he continued.

"We have agreements and commitments in place, so we are actively collaborating, helping each other," Kurbatov added.

In 2022, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) suspended indefinitely all national teams from Russia and Belarus due to the Ukraine conflict.