Evgeny Plushenko has already ruled out competing at the world championships because he was in need of another knee surgery. He has set the date for that surgery as Feb. 23.
He announced his plans for surgery on Twitter. He had already ruled himself out of the world championships that begin March 25 in Nice, France, so he can recover from the surgery.
Plushenko returned last year from a suspension imposed by the International Skating Union in June 2010 for taking part in exhibitions without approval of the governing body.