Oleksandra Oliynykova blasts Russian players for silence after Roland Garros win
oleksandra oliynykova used her Roland Garros win over Olena Pryadunkina to deliver a blunt political message about Russian tennis players and the war in Ukraine. After the match, the Ukrainian player said silence from Russian players amounts to support for the regime, and she accused some of them of helping propaganda through social media and tournament ties.
Roland Garros win
Oliynykova defeated Pryadunkina at Roland Garros before making her statement in defense of Ukraine. The match result is the part that put her comments into a Grand Slam setting, with the post-match reaction carrying the broader dispute into one of tennis’s biggest stages.
Her comments were direct. “These players are part of the propaganda. By staying silent, they are supporting the regime. Many actively participate in propaganda through social media or by playing in tournaments linked to Gazprom. Some are direct active followers of Putin. Not enough is being said about these issues, and in the meantime, atrocities continue to happen. These individuals help normalize aggression against Ukraine for many Russian citizens. People see their favorite tennis players, famous players with a lot of money and influence, and that ends up being used as propaganda as well. We are talking about people with high public visibility and a lot of power of influence. All the money, advertising, and platform they receive here can later be used to support precisely the horrible things that are happening.”
Russian players and silence
She sharpened that point in a separate quote, saying, “Many players are actively involved in Russian propaganda. Through their activity on social media, participation in the Gazprom tournament. And they are active supporters of Putin.” That line tied her criticism to two specific behaviors: public online activity and participation in events linked to Gazprom.
The friction in her remarks is plain. Oliynykova was not talking about a distant policy debate; she linked player visibility, money, and influence to propaganda while saying the war is still producing atrocities. She also singled out silence itself as an active choice, not a neutral one, which pushes the argument beyond a routine post-match statement.
Ukraine after the match
The result at Roland Garros gave her comments a larger audience, and the message was framed as a statement in defense of Ukraine. For readers following the tournament, the immediate takeaway is that Oliynykova left Paris with more than a win over Pryadunkina: she also put Russian tennis players’ public posture in the spotlight and made their silence part of the story.
