Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan was disqualified from the world championships Thursday after refusing to shake hands with Russian opponent Anna Smirnova.

Kharlan, a world champion and four-time Olympic medalist, won the individual saber bout before offering her saber to tap blades instead of shaking hands.

Shaking an opponent's hand is mandatory in fencing, and failure to do so triggers a "black card."

"We fully support Olga Kharlan in this situation. We are preparing a protest," said Mykhailo Illiashev, president of Ukraine's fencing federation.

Kharlan defeated Smirnova, 15-7, during the competition in Milan, after which she rejected Smirnova's handshake, prompting a protest from the Russian that lasted around 45 minutes. Smirnova remained on the piste - the strip upon which fencers spar - at first standing, then sitting before speaking with several officials and leaving. Smirnova was competing under a neutral flag after the International Fencing Federation in April allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to do so.

Thursday's result came a day after the Ukrainian government changed its policy, allowing its athletes to compete in Olympic qualifiers against those from Russia and Belarus who participate in a neutral capacity. Ukraine previously recommended that athletes not compete against Russians and Belarusians altogether.

The FIE has not said why Kharlan was disqualified and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a video posted to Instagram after event, Kharlan said that she followed her heart, and that the disqualification "hurt so much that I screamed in pain."

"You know, you can never force anyone to make peace," she said. "Especially Ukrainians. No handshake. Never. Therefore, it will always be like this."

Kharlan, who is from the war-torn Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv and whose parents remain there, added that "the rules have to change because the world is changing."

Some Ukrainian officials characterized the disqualification as unfair, with Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Huttsait claiming Smirnova provoked Kharlan by "holding her hand up for a long time and waiting." Illiashev in televised comments said Ukraine's fencing federation would appeal, partly because the black card precludes Kharlan from competing in the women's team saber event that begins Saturday.

"We will appeal this decision, because the referee who judged this match did not give directly a black card or disqualify her," Illiashev said. "It was only later that the underhanded games began and this disqualification appeared already after the next opponent was determined, already after a judge for the next competition was determined."

Ukrainian athletes in other sports have refused to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian opponents since the former invaded Ukraine in February 2022 with support from the latter.

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has publicly and repeatedly said she will not shake hands with players from Russia or Belarus. Her stance led to an awkward episode earlier at Wimbledon this month when, after Belarusian star Victoria Azarenka lost to Svitolina, Azarenka left the court without shaking hands - in a sign of respect for Svitolina's position - and was booed by the crowd.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian fencer Igor Reizlin did not show for his bout against Russian Vadim Anokhin in line with his country's policy. Reizlin presented a medical certificate for his absence and forfeited the match.