Maria Shukshina supported the demarche of the Russian chess player: “No flag – no Karjakin”

At the meeting, the actress is ready to shake hands with the Russian grandmaster Sergey Karyakin

Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin refused to play under a neutral flag and turned down FIDE’s invitation to participate in the World Cup. “I received an invitation from FIDE to participate in the World Cup. But in the upcoming tournament, I will not be able to represent my country, play under my own flag, and in case of a successful performance, I will not hear the Russian anthem. I am categorically against it,” said the famous chess player Sergey Karyakin. The position of the contender for the chess crown was supported by the famous actress Maria Shukshina.

– He [Сергей Карякин] Well done! It sets the right example, unlike our Olympic Committee, which agrees to play under a neutral flag and in a faceless uniform, – actress Maria Shukshina comments on the position of chess player Karyakin “MK”. – We all remember very well how a year ago the President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Arkady Dvorkovich sacrificed and supported the disqualification of Sergey Karyakin for supporting the CBO. Sergey Karyakin is a good fellow, he supported his country from the very beginning and suffers for it.

If all the athletes stood up as one and refused international competitions, then there would be a different attitude towards our country: they would be afraid, and would respect, and would reckon with us. And so the organizers of the competition set the condition for the condemnation of the SVO, or the renunciation of citizenship, and the athletes run to change citizenship to Israel, cowards.

I understand perfectly well that all athletes dream of an international career. Now they are faced with a tough choice with no alternative. But it is a moral choice, first of all. If there is no alternative, how can you sell your homeland? And they go under the white flag to perform. It turns out that they cannot lose their qualifications, but can they lose their conscience? I look at all this horror and I have such rhetorical questions. In principle, it was all in our country during the Second World War. When the Germans invaded our villages, Belarusian and Ukrainian many went to the police. And others, hungry and cold, went into the woods to fight. And the policemen ate, drank, had fun and shot our people. There is always a moral choice.

If compatriots at the highest sports level refused to participate in competitions without an anthem and without a flag, then this would be a great example for our compatriots that the homeland is above a career. In the meantime, there are only a few of them – only Karjakin sets us a high standard of patriotism and love for the motherland. I will gladly shake his hand when we meet.