Updated

The International Olympic Committee says images of the attack on the Pussy Riot punk group in Sochi are "very unsettling."

IOC spokesman Mark Adams says the governor of the Krasnodar region has apologized for the attack and is investigating.

Adams says it's a matter not directly related to the Sochi Games but he "found the pictures and the video very unsettling."

On Wednesday, Cossack militia attacked the group with horsewhips as they tried to perform under a sign advertising the Sochi Olympics.

Adams says the IOC wants to know more details but called it "largely an issue for" the Russian government.

He added that "it's a shame if the Olympics is used as a political platform" and that "we saw the strong feelings, on both sides, these things can provoke."