He proclaimed his confidence at a meeting with the RPC team yesterday prior to their departure for Japan, calling Russia's ban from the Rio 2016 Paralympics "unjust" and an "absurd decision".

"Russian athletes will again show their unique sporting mastery at the Paralympics after a prolonged forced break," said Putin, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

"The way to the Games was long for our team and not just because of the postponement of the competitions by one year due to the pandemic.

"We all remember the unjust ban of the team from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and the bitterness that was caused by the absurd decision to suspend membership of the Russian Paralympic Committee in the international committee. 

"It's likely the clearest examples proving that politics directly interferes in sports."

He added the athletes "brilliantly passed all the qualification tournaments and showed commendable sporting results, fully displaying your legendary will and colossal mental strength".

The RPC team is made up of 241 athletes - 129 men and 112 women, competing in 19 of the 22 sports.

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics are scheduled to take place from August 24 to September 5.

Due to the Russian doping scandal, 111 of the country's 389 athletes from the Rio 2016 Olympics were removed.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) unanimously voted to expel Russia from the Rio 2016 Paralympics due to the scandal after it found evidence of disappearing positive methodology at the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics, which was used to cover up doping.

It cited that the ban was implemented due to the country's inability to enforce the IPC's Anti-Doping Code.