The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Ministry of Youth and Sports published data on 11 Russian athletes and cybersportsmen who publicly support the war against Ukraine on the War&Sanctions portal.
Points of attention
- DIU and Ministry of Youth and Sports reveal information on 11 Russian athletes and cybersportsmen openly supporting the war against Ukraine.
- Known athletes hold events in occupied territories, endorse Russian military actions, and participate in international sports while supporting warfare.
- Prominent figures like Fedor Chudinov, Imam Ganishov, Pavel Cherpita, and Vitaly Roshchin are among those identified as propagandists for Russian military aggression.
“Champions of Terror”: DIU reveals data on odious Russian athletes
These athletes hold events in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, call for support for the Russian military, and personally visit them in Ukraine, while continuing to participate in international competitions and sporting events.
Among them:
Russian boxer, member of the Council of Champions of the Russian Boxing Federation, the United Russia party, and the Night Wolves motorcycle club Fedor Chudinov. Organizes propaganda events in the temporarily occupied territories, in particular aimed at the re-education of Ukrainian children;
wrestler, international master of sports Imam Ganishov. He personally visited Russian military personnel in the temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhia region, took photos and videos in support of the war;
Captain of the 2nd rank of the Russian Navy, Professor of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Russian Federation, Coach of the team of the "Black Sea Higher Naval School named after Nakhimov" (temporarily occupied Sevastopol) and the Russian Navy team at international regattas Pavel Cherpita;
Russian cybersportsman, StarCraft II player, member of the 3D!Clan team Vitaly Roshchin. Publicly supported the so-called “SVO”, “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine.
In total, the “Champions of Terror” section contains information about 148 Russian athletes, cyber athletes, and sports officials who support the Kremlin's aggression against Ukraine.
Russian agents of influence must be isolated from the global sports community, the DIU is confident.
