"Andreeva and Shnaider were rewarded by Putin": Ukrainian Oliynykova speaks out
World No. 94, Oleksandra Oliynykova recently won the WTA 125 tournaments in Tucuman (Argentina) and Colima (Chile) to finish the 2025 season in the top 100.
The Ukrainian player, born in Kyiv, gave numerous interviews during her South American tour, where she shared her opinion on the presence of Russian players on the tours, allowed to compete under a neutral flag.
"Andreeva and Shnaider were rewarded by Putin"
In remarks reported by Saque y Red, Oliynykova did not hesitate to take a stance, notably denouncing the presence of certain players like Mirra Andreeva or Diana Shnaider, recently honored by Vladimir Putin:
"Neutrality should be monitored. Many support the war. For some, not having a flag is enough. But that's not sufficient. Even without a flag, they can play without any constraints.
Andreeva and Shnaider received an award from Putin. We need to talk about this more. It's a huge problem, because they benefit from global recognition while supporting the Russian government."
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