Oleksandra Oliynykova Slams Diana Shnaider for Choosing Not to Comment on Russia-Ukraine War

Oleksandra Oliynykova‘s campaign at Roland Garros ended on Saturday (May 30). Up against her was Diana Shnaider, who clinched a 7-5, 6-1 win to reach the fourth round of the French Open for the second time in her career.

And as expected, Oliynykova once again spoke about the Russia-Ukraine war at the press conference. Oliynykova recently revealed she received threats from the WTA for naming athletes while criticizing the war.

But in spite of that, Oliynykova, who continues to live in Kyiv, said she is competing on the tour to use the platform to condemn Russia and the war, and tell the world what her fellow Ukrainians are suffering back home.

The 25-year-old has heavily criticized those players who participated in the Northern Palmyra Trophies, an exhibition event in St. Petersburg, that was funded by Russian energy giant Gazprom, which supported the country’s war efforts. Shnaider was one of the players who participated in the event. Oliynykova also accused the 22-year-old of liking Russian propaganda posts on social media.

When Shnaider was asked about Oliynykova’s accusations, she said the reason she played in that exhibition was because it was the only opportunity to play in front of her family and friends. On her social media activities, Shnaider said: “I’m here to play tennis. Not talking about Instagram or video likes or anything else.” And when Oliynykova was asked about Shnaider’s comments in her press conference, she said:

She does not want to speak because she knows that many of the things she has done would be unacceptable to people living in Europe who believe in democratic values and freedom. But she continues to read certain propagandists, continues to participate in those events, and knows perfectly well what they represent.

The most emotional moment for Oliynykova was playing in front of her father, who serves in the Ukrainian army. Oliynykova’s boyfriend is also a soldier.

She comes here, earns money, gets public visibility, and then returns there to continue supporting what she believes in. I have already presented evidence of that. That is why they prefer to say they know nothing or do not want to comment on the issue. That is exactly the strategy they have been using all this time.

Oleksandra Oliynykova added

Oliynykova played at the French Open main draw for the first time in her career. She made her Grand Slam debut at this year’s Australian Open, losing in the opening round to Madison Keys.

Oleksandra Oliynykova on the unity of the Ukrainian players

In one of the press conferences, Oleksandra Oliynykova showed a picture of a tennis center in Ukraine where she used to practice, destroyed by a missile. Marta Kostyuk also showed a picture showing what happened after a missile hit a building 100 meters from her parents’ house in her press conference after her first-round win.

She received the picture on the morning before her match. Kostyuk was very emotional after her win. Elina Svitolina is also quite vocal about the sufferings of her fellow people. Oliynykova, after her latest defeat, talked about the unity of the Ukrainian players.

There is absolute solidarity among all Ukrainian players. Each one tries to help in the way they consider appropriate because we all have different experiences, but we all stand by our country. Each player finds their own way to express themselves, but we share the same values and the same concern for what is happening.

The Ukrainian players, since the start of the war, have refused handshakes with Belarusian and Russian players. They are also not shaking hands with those who have changed their nationality (except Elena Rybakina and Daria Kasatkina).

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