Khodykin has trained at the Russian gymnastics Olympic base - the Ozero Krugloye facility outside Moscow - although was not in the national team.

His last competition was at the Mikhail Voronin Cup in December, when he finished second in the men's rings.

Gulevsky revealed on Instagram that Khodykin had voluntarily travelled to Ukraine to fight in the war.

"Maxim Khodykin is the first athlete of the national gymnastics team who openly and in friendship trusted me as a specialist, a doctor and a person," Gulevsky said.

"Both the experience for the two of us and the history of our relationship to this day are valuable.

"Under the contract, he went to the SVO (special military operation) zone.

"Who knows how to pray for safety, who wants to - wish good and all the best, who with what you can - do it."

Moscow has described the invasion of Ukraine as a "special military operation", although it has widely-condemned and led to Russia and Belarus being largely frozen out of international sport since the end of February last year.

The International Olympic Committee has recently moved towards allowing athletes from both countries to compete as neutrals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, although this has sparked an angry reaction in Ukraine and drew opposition from several European countries.

A summit of 30 nations is gathering in Britain today to discuss a response the potential participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at Paris 2024.

Critics of the IOC's stance have argued that neutrality for Russian and Belarusian athletes is not possible and pointed to athletes serving in the Russian armed forces.

The FIG banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from its competitions in March last year, although this was after gymnasts had been able to compete as neutrals at an Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Doha, where Ivan Kuliak wore the "Z" symbol to show his support for the invasion of Ukraine.

Kuliak was banned from FIG competitions until May of this year, although Russian and Belarusian athletes remain unable to compete at its events anyway, and the Governor of Kaluga Vladislav Shapsha has said he will pay his legal fees.

insidethegames has asked the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) for a comment about Khodykin.