Ukrainian chess player Pavel Eljanov announced that he would not play at the European Championship, which is to be held from March 27 to April 7 in Slovenia.

Our compatriot wrote on Facebook that because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine he refuses to play against chess players from the Russian Federation and Belarus until the end of the war.

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I respect those Russian chess players who signed an open letter against the war, but I consider it impossible to play against a single Russian or Belarusian player (whatever flag they have) until the end of the war (t. before our victory),"

Recall that the International Chess Federation (FIDE) suspended the national teams of Russia and Belarus from participating in tournaments under the auspices of the organization. However, chess players from both countries will be able to participate in individual tournaments under the FIDE flag..