Ukrainian tennis star Marta Kostyuk giving Russian Mirra Andreeva the cold shoulder after her French Open loss on Thursday brought the conflict between their nations back into the public conscience.
Andreeva beat Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 at Roland-Garros in Paris, reaching her first Grand Slam final. After the match, her Ukrainian opponent refused to shake hands and take a picture. While exiting the court, she blew kisses to the crowd.
Some may view this as poor sportsmanship, but it’s more complicated than that. Kostyuk has been an outspoken critic of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, which recently struck close to home.
Ukraine-Russia conflict escalated during 2026 French Open
Ukraine and Russia have been at war since February 2022, and it’s not going to end anytime soon. Russia launched a missile/drone strike on Tuesday, killing at least 22 civilians. That comes after Russia held another strike from May 23-24.
That attack destroyed Kostyuk’s home in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Her family survived. She learned of the news before her first match in Paris. In a post-match news conference, she showed the damage on her phone.
“If the [missile] was 100 meters closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mom and sister today,” she said (h/t James Sharpe of the Daily Mail).