Sergiy Karyakin stated that he does not expect Russian athletes to return to international tournaments under the flag of the Russian Federation until the end of Russian aggression against Ukraine. The grandmaster believes that this depends on the political situation in the world and the relationship between Russia and the USA. Karyakin added that until the victory in the war against Ukraine, Russians may not be allowed to international tournaments under their flag.
«I believe that this depends not on the chess situation, but on what will happen in the world in general, what the overall political situation will be, what relationships Russia will have with the USA. Of course, we all hope that Russians will be allowed under the flag and anthem of Russia. But again, we must face the truth: I think that until victory in the special military operation (as Russian propaganda calls the war against Ukraine - «Glavkom»), this is unlikely to happen,» Karyakin said.
Interestingly, in March 2022, Karyakin himself was temporarily suspended from participating in FIDE tournaments for supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine. It is also known that after that he stated that he would compete in international competitions only under the flag of the Russian Federation.