Russian Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin has been banned from competition for six months because of his support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the international chess federation (Fide) said on Monday.

The 32-year-old Karjakin, who challenged Magnus Carlsen for the world title in 2016, has defended his country’s actions on social media in recent weeks, drawing intense criticism from the chess world.

“Sergey Karjakin is found guilty of breach of article 2.2.10 of the Fide Code of Ethics, and is sanctioned to a worldwide ban of 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 said in a statement.

Karjakin, who was born in Crimea, represented Ukraine until 2009 and earlier said he was being targeted because of his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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

“I made the hardest selection through the World Cup in the Candidates tournament. Winning that would have put me in a match for the world championship. Alas, Fide embarrassed themselves, not me,” Karjakin said on Telegram.