Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin has been banned from competition for six months due to his unwavering support on social media for Russia amid the Ukraine invasion.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) made the announcement as criticism grew over Karjakin’s Twitter posts.

“In reaction to public statements made by Sergey Karjakin about the war in Ukraine, the FIDE and Ethics and Disciplinary Commission banned Karjakin for six months ‘from participating as a player in any FIDE rated chess competition, taking effect from the date of this decision, 21 March 2022’,” FIDE announced.

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“The statements by Sergey Karjakin on the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine have led to a considerable number of reactions on social media and elsewhere, to a large extent negative towards the opinions expressed”.

The ban puts Karjakin’s participation in the Candidates Tournament, which starts on June 16, in doubt. However, he can appeal the decision within 21 days.

Karjakin’s statements on Twitter have praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and the military actions taken in Ukraine since the initial invasion on February 24.

In a Twitter thread, Karjakin – who challenged Magnus Carlsen for the world title in 2016 – said, “Many people ask if I regret my public support of the special operation? After all, I have already lost invitations to Western tournaments and may lose an invitation to the candidates tournament”.

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“My answer is simple”, he added. “I am on the side of Russia and my President. No matter what happens, I will support my country in any situation without thinking for a second”!

Last week, the FIDE removed Moscow of this year’s Chess Olympiad and FIDE Congress and banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing in tournaments under their respective flags.

Karjakin has not only showed his support for Russian forces, but he also posted about the US, sharing a tweet from Chinese government official Lijian Zhao in which purportedly was US’ bombing list.

The image was captioned: “Never forget who’s the real threat to the world”.

Karjakin shared the image along with the message: “Many thanks to our Chinese friends for telling the truth”.