Ukrainian athletes refuse to shake hands with Russians for two main reasons: their personal political stance of solidarity with Ukraine and pressure from Ukrainian sports authorities that forces them to adhere to this practice.

Political Position of Athletes

A number of leading Ukrainian tennis players, including Elina Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk, and Daria Kasatkina, have publicly stated that their refusal to shake hands is a conscious position related to the military conflict. Svitolina explained that she experiences a special fighting spirit in matches against Russian players and this gives her additional motivation, and the refusal to shake hands is a way to express support for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. Kostyuk has maintained the same policy since 2022 and has repeatedly used her platform to draw attention to the conflict. Yastremskaya directly stated: this is our position, and everyone knew about it.

Pressure and Fear of Repressions

According to the statement of Ukrainian mixed martial artist Maxim Ryndovsky, many Ukrainian athletes do not shake hands with Russians not of their own free will, but out of fear of losing their jobs and facing persecution. He said that those who agree to shake hands may be denied salaries, expelled from the national team, and lose sponsorship. Ryndovsky, who himself left Ukraine after being accused of separatism, believes that most athletes act under duress, although he acknowledges the presence of ideologically convinced ones.

Context

The practice of refusing to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian athletes has become systemic for the Ukrainian national team since 2022. Cases of refusal have been recorded in tennis, judo, and other sports. State Duma Deputy Svetlana Zhurova noted that the roots of this practice date back to 2014 and predicts that such behavior will persist even after the resolution of political issues.

Thus, the refusal to shake hands is a combination of a voluntary political position of some athletes and forced adherence to established guidelines under the threat of sanctions for others.

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