'Hypocritical' Aryna Sabalenka angrily slammed for hugging Belarusian leader
NewsWednesday, 14 January 2026 at 21:58
A Ukrainian Olympian has torn into Aryna Sabalenka for her historical closeness with the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, arguing that it contradicts her comments about the Ukraine war.
Since February 2022, Ukraine has been at war with Russia after the latter launched an illegal invasion. That move has led to much devastation and fatalities, and the conflict is now almost four years old.
Focusing on performing while their homeland fights courageously for its existence has been challenging for Ukrainian players. They make a point of not shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian players after matches.
That led to Marta Kostyuk snubbing Sabalenka after their 2026 Brisbane International final. The Belarusian addressed the situation afterward, but it is something she has experienced with multiple players, including Elina Svitolina.
Although Ukrainian players apply that handshake stance to all players representing Russia or Belarus, regardless of their views on the conflict, feelings towards Sabalenka are particularly strong because of her past comments and actions towards Lukashenko.
In 2020, there were widespread protests against Lukashenko's rule. Rather than oppose a leader who is widely reported to have committed human rights abuses, Sabalenka signed a letter supporting him.
The four-time Grand Slam champion's affection for Lukashenko was further demonstrated by her spending New Year's Eve 2020 with him. Therefore, many Ukrainians find it challenging to believe her now when she claims to oppose the war and Lukashenko.
Vladyslav Heraskevych, a Ukrainian skeleton athlete, delivered a scathing assessment of Sabalenka in an X post. He accompanied his post with a photo of her hugging Lukashenko in 2018, and used a clown emoji when referencing her words opposing Russia's invasion.
"First, she hugs the dictator and supports his policy, and then: “Nobody supports the war — neither russian nor belarusian athletes. How can we support the war? Normal people will never support the war.🤡"
Heraskevych then took a broader aim at Russian and Belarusian athletes, writing that several of them are directly involved in Russia's war effort, and that they take pride in assisting the country's illegal invasion.
"Meanwhile, a massive number of Russian athletes serve in the Russian army. Some other pose with “Z” symbols, others take part in propaganda events — and that’s just scratching the surface of how russian and belarusian athletes are directly involved in the war and its propaganda machine. How hypocritical these russian/belarusian athletes are."
Defenders of Sabalenka argue that people are allowed to change their minds about leaders, and that Lukashenko's decision to strongly support Russia's actions in Ukraine may have genuinely made her realize Lukashenko's true nature.
Others think that sport and politics should never mix. Sabalenka herself has made that argument in response to being questioned about the situation in Ukraine, becoming visibly more agitated with being consistently asked for her thoughts on the conflict.
One Russian-born player that Kostyuk and other Ukrainians shake hands with is Daria Kasatkina, because of her vocal opposition to the Russian government's actions and her decision to switch allegiances and represent Australia.
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