Ukraine’s Kostyuk blasts Russia stars in French Open outburst over war

Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk faces Russia’s Mirra Andreeva in semifinal after beating Elina Svitolina at Roland Garros.Marta Kostyuk accused Russian players of hiding behind silence over the Ukraine" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="16665" data-entity-type="event">War in Ukraine, saying after ⁠four years of conflict they had shown “whose side they are on”, as she reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open.The 23-year-old beat fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-3 ⁠2-6 6-2 in an emotional quarterfinal on Tuesday, played hours after another night of Russian strikes on Kyiv, then launched a scathing attack on Russian players who continue to avoid publicly condemning the war.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Who’s in, who’s out: Squads for all 48 FIFA World Cup 2026 nationslist 2 of 4Intisar Shanib becomes first woman to head football club in Libyalist 3 of 4UK Athletics fined over death of UAE Paralympian Abdullah Hayayeilist 4 of 4World Cup: No ICE deployment; extra security for Iran games in Los Angelesend of listKostyuk, who will next face Russian Mirra Andreeva, said she no longer accepts the argument that Russian athletes could remain ‌silent because of possible repercussions at home.“There is a way if you don’t agree,” Kostyuk told reporters. “I know some people who have left Russia the moment the war began, who sold all their business, who left everything behind because they just don’t agree with what their country is doing to other people.”She cited fellow player Daria Kasatkina, who switched her allegiance from Russia to Australia last year, as an example of someone who had publicly spoken out ⁠despite pressure on her family.“I don’t think she lives in Russia ⁠anyways, but the majority of players don’t live in Russia,” Kostyuk said. “There is nothing that’s stopping you if this is something you don’t believe in.“After four years, I think they’ve made it very clear whose side they are on.”Kostyuk’s comments ⁠came after she was asked about remarks from Russian players, including Diana Shnaider and Andreeva, who have previously said they focus only on the ⁠tennis ball and avoid political discussion.