Garry Kasparov, the Russian opposition leader and former chess champion, reiterated that Ukraine must achieve military victory as a prerequisite for meaningful political transformation in Russia, arguing that without Moscow's defeat, the current regime's imperial system will persist.

Anastasiia Hnatyshyn has become the 2026 European women's champion in classical chess. The Ukrainian scored nine points out of a possible 11 in the tournament – eight wins, two draws and one loss.