Kazakov discussed the achievements of countries with communist education systems on March 5, 2025, on Radio Minsk. He discussed this topic with co-host Alyona Rodovskaya and guests—American musician Arthur Garfunkel, son of the legendary Simon & Garfunkel duo member, and Wan Ziyi, a master's graduate from BSUCA.

"Let's just look at the lists of winners from recent math and chess Olympiads—it's the Chinese, Russians, Belarusians, and that's it. And that's it. What does that mean? It means that this communist education system, whatever it may be, is truly the best," Kazakov said.

According to the International Chess Federation (FIDE), as of March 2025, the countries with the strongest chess players were led by the United States, India, and China. Russia ranked fourth, while Belarus was in 54th place.

In terms of individual achievements, Norwegian Magnus Carlsen tops the March rankings. The country most represented in the top ten is India. The leading Chinese player holds the seventh spot, while Russia's best, Ian Nepomniachtchi, is in tenth. No Belarusian players cracked the top 100. Belarusian junior Denis Lazavik achieved a higher ranking, coming in at 17th place.

However, it's important to note that with the sanctions against Russia and Belarus, athletes in various disciplines cannot compete under their national flags. This has affected their positions in the final rankings. Before the full-scale war in Ukraine, Russian chess players held the top spot in the Federation's rankings. They were followed by the United States, with China in third place. Belarus was also closer to the top, ranking 41st.

At the 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad, Belarus secured fifth place—marking the best result in Europe and the highest ever for the country. Belarus finished behind the United States, China, Korea, and India. Russian students have been barred from the team competitions since. Before the sanctions, they had claimed second place in both 2020 and 2021. In 2022, 17-year-old Russian Galia Sharafetdinova won gold in the individual category. In 2024, a Russian mathematician earned silver in the individual rankings. China and the United States took first and second place, respectively. Belarusians Mikhail Raikhman and Matvey Vylegzhanin ranked 11th and 14th.