Ukrainian tennis player Oleksandra Oliynykova (25) has condemned international sports organisations for allowing Russia back into competition, calling it a “propaganda victory” for Moscow that rewards “a country which is killing people every day”.

The Kyiv-based athlete spoke to AFP at the Hong Kong Open on Tuesday, just hours after Russia launched deadly overnight strikes on Ukraine.

Oliynykova, who reached a career-high world ranking of 41 in September, has emerged as one of Ukraine’s most vocal sports figures. The war hits close to home – her father and boyfriend both serve in the armed forces, and she has witnessed the destruction across her country since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion in February 2022.

Living between two worlds

The tennis professional described the sharp contrast between life on the international tour and reality in Ukraine.

“When I come home I live under attacks, I see destroyed buildings,” she said after losing her opening match in Hong Kong. “I’m not only in Kyiv, I was in cities which are near the front which are suffering so, so much.”

Explosions and power cuts

Oliynykova, who played at all four Grand Slams this year, regularly wakes to explosions shaking her apartment in the capital. Power outages add to the challenges.

“You wake up and you hear this sound, the apartment is shaking,” she said. “Let’s say you’re coming home from your practice, there is no electricity, you need to go to the 20th floor by walking, you are tired already, you want to rest. And you cannot even shower, and also in Ukraine the winter is cold.”

Sports bodies soften stance

Despite the ongoing war, several sports organisations have started welcoming back Russian athletes. Russia’s men’s and women’s ice hockey teams can return to the world championships next year after a five-year ban. The country will host the 2030 world weightlifting championships.

In July, the International Olympic Committee eased restrictions on Russian athletes and opened a pathway for them to compete in qualifying events for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

Oliynykova said accepting Russian competitors sends the wrong message.

“This is horrible because these people are part of Russian propaganda,” she said. “It’s a victory for Russian propaganda, like, you accepted the people, the symbols of the country which is killing people every day.”

Call for air defence

When asked about US President Donald Trump, who once promised to end the war in 24 hours, Oliynykova echoed her government’s appeal for Patriot missiles to defend Ukrainian cities.

“We need Patriots to defend our cities, to get air defence and to save lives,” she said. “Right now Russians are terrorising us, terrorising Kyiv. There are more attacks than ever before, so many civilians are dying.”

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