Champions of terror

Russia uses sport as a tool of propaganda and to circumvent sanctions
Total number:
159
Individuals
Updated: 19.06.2025
The participation of russian athletes in international competitions is a means of whitewashing russia`s reputation (sportwashing), spreading disinformation, justifying and legitimizing aggression against Ukraine among foreign audiences and demonstrating russia`s continued presence in the civilized world
Russian officials in international sports committees and federations remain a russian lobby and an element of strategic influence outside russia, providing ways to establish international relations and cooperation bypassing sanctions
What needs to be done:
  • suspend russian athletes from international competitions
  • exclude russian sports officials from international organizations
Sport should symbolize peace again
 
 
Total: 159
YEGORYAN Yana Karapetovna
YEGORYAN Yana Karapetovna
Russian fencer, saber fencer, Two-time russian champion, Two-time world champion, Two-time Olympic champion, Military World Games champion, Honored master of sports of russia, Vice-President of the Moscow region Fencing Federation
Participant of the 2024 BRICS Sports Games in Kazan (russia).
Participant in the 2019 World Military Games in Wuhan (China) as a member of the russian Armed Forces national team.
He holds the rank of lieutenant of the russian Armed Forces and represents the Central Sports Club of the russian Army (CSKA), which is subordinated to the Ministry of Defense of the russian federation.
CSKA provides active assistance to the military and veterans of the so-called "SMO" by purchasing and delivering special equipment, FPV drones, generators and humanitarian supplies to the frontline, conducts military-patriotic education of children and youth, organizes and conducts sports and patriotic events and promotes international cooperation, in particular within the framework of the Military World Games project.
Thus, CSKA athletes at international competitions actually represent the armed forces of the aggressor state.
She is an ambassador of the All-russian public movement to promote patriotic and sports education of citizens "Healthy Fatherland", which operates, among other things, in the TOT of Ukraine.
In October 2024 she appeared in a propaganda video by the "Healthy Fatherland" movement for putin's birthday.
In January 2018, she was putin's proxy in the presidential election.
In 2023, she campaigned on her social media to vote for a member of the pro-government United russia political party, Andrei Vorobyov, in the Moscow region gubernatorial elections.
Since 2024, she has been an ambassador for the World Friendship Games, a sporting event launched as a russian alternative to the Olympic Games in response to restrictions on russian athletes' participation in the Paris Olympics.
The aim of the project is to demonstrate to the world russia's capabilities in holding sporting events at the highest level and to develop new formats of sports cooperation. The project of the World Friendship Games was presented at the largest forums "russia - CEF", "PMEF", "russia - Africa", "russia - Sports Power", and issues were separately resolved with the ministers of South Africa, China, Brazil and North Korea regarding the participation of athletes from the respective countries in the competitions. It is noted that the invitations are based both on interaction with federations in different countries and on a personal basis. Invitations to participate were sent to some sports federations in Ukraine, with a cynical promise to "ensure their safety".
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BUROV Ilya Alekseevich
BUROV Ilya Alekseevich
Russian freestyle skier, Russian champion, Honored master of sports, Master of sports of russia international class, CSKA instructor
Participant of the XXIV Winter Olympics in 2022 in Beijing (China).
Participant of the International freestyle competition in the discipline of acrobatics "Champions Cup" in 2023 in Yaroslavl (russia).
He is a member of the russian Olympic freestyle team.
He holds the rank of private in the sports company of the Central Sports Club of the russian Army (CSKA) in Sevastopol. Sevastopol, subordinated to the Ministry of Defense of the russian federation.
CSKA regularly provides active assistance to the military and veterans of the so-called "SMO" by purchasing and delivering special equipment, FPV drones, generators and humanitarian supplies to the frontline, conducts military-patriotic education of children and youth, organizes and conducts sports and patriotic events and promotes international cooperation, in particular within the framework of the World War Games project.
Thus, CSKA athletes at international competitions actually represent the armed forces of the aggressor state.
Burov uses pro-russian pseudo-patriotic symbols and expresses public support for putin and the war against Ukraine. In particular, in May 2022, a photo of Burov with a St. George's ribbon was published online. In addition, Burov declared the support of the russian leadership for "the fight against weapons and Nazism" and called for "protecting the russian-speaking population, the citizens of their country."
In 2022, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, first class, for "high sports achievements, will to win, resilience and determination shown at the XXIIV Olympic Winter Games in 2022 in Beijing (China)."
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KRYLOV Mykyta Andriyovych
KRYLOV Mykyta Andriyovych
Mixed style fighter, Master of sports in karate, Master of sports in hand-to-hand combat, European champion in kyokushinkai among juniors
He is an active participant in international MMA tournaments in the UFC, M-1 Global, Fight Nights, Oplot Challenge, etc.
In April 2025, Krylov made a public appearance under the russian flag and stated that he was "proud to represent russia".
Since 2015, having Ukrainian citizenship and despite russian armed aggression and war against Ukraine, he has been actively training in Moscow, stating that changing his citizenship does not matter to him and that he is quite satisfied with his Ukrainian passport. However, in 2018, he changed his position and announced the start of the procedure for obtaining russian citizenship.
He has also repeatedly stated his loyalty to the terrorist russian groups of the so-called "DPR" and "LPR", and that if they are recognized, he will be the first in line to receive passports of the self-proclaimed republics.
In addition, Krylov posted images with the russian flag on his Instagram page and claimed that in 2014, a "coup d'état" took place in Ukraine, which overthrew the legitimate government and that the West initiated these events.
After the start of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Krylov noted that he was most concerned about the explosions of "Tochka-U"missile in Donetsk and Makiivka, because, according to him, such sentiments had been persisting for more than 8 years.
In March 2023, during a fight at the UFC Fight Night 221 tournament in Las Vegas (USA), Krylov chanted "russia! for Donbas!".
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CHUDINOV Fedor Alexandrovich
CHUDINOV Fedor Alexandrovich
Russian boxer, Honored master of sports of russia, WBA International, WBA Continental, WBA Gold champion, Former WBA World Super Champion, Member of the All-russian political party "United russia", Member of the Council of Deputies of the Serpukhov City district, Moscow region, Member of the Council of Champions of the russian Boxing Federation
As a member of the russian Boxing Federation's Council of Champions, he actively cooperates with the Federal Service of the National Guard of the russian federation in organizing numerous military-patriotic and events for children and youth. In particular, in 2024, he took part in the large-scale sports event "Patriot's Forge" dedicated to the Day of the Defender of the Fatherland.
He is an ambassador of the All-russian public movement for the promotion of patriotic and sports education of citizens "Healthy Fatherland", which operates, among other things, in the TOT of Ukraine.
It cooperates with the occupation authorities of Crimea and Luhansk region, conducts propaganda activities in the TOT of Ukraine.
In particular, in May 2024, as part of the "Exercise marathon" at the "russia" exhibition, he held a sports event together with the so-called "Minister of Sports of the Republic of Crimea" Olga Toruparova and 400 athletes from the TOT of Crimea in the format of a teleconference.
Also in 2015, he held a fight in the TOT of Crimea, stating that "the whole of russia wins with him" and holding the fight in Sevastopol would add additional motivation to win.
In October 2024, he visited several cities in the temporarily occupied Luhansk region, where, with the support of the Healthy Fatherland movement and the representative office of the All-russian public and political movement "People's Front "for russia" (under sanctions from the EU, Canada, Switzerland and Ukraine) in the so-called "LPR", he held propaganda sports events with Ukrainian children. In particular, he organized "master classes" in Starobilsk and Luhansk that contained elements of indoctrination and re-education.
In addition, in the summer of 2024, Chudinov also participated in an event to indoctrinate children illegally taken from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Moscow. In particular, he held a master class at the Moscow "Boxing Academy" for 16 teenagers from the temporarily occupied Kadiyivka, Yenakiyevo and Horlivka as part of a propaganda sports event organized by the russian Boxing Federation. During the event, Ukrainian children were dressed in uniforms with a russian flag on the chest and a large RUS inscription on the back.
He is a member of the All-russian motorcycle club "Night Wolves" (under sanctions by the EU, the US, Ukraine and Switzerland), which is a key supporter of the russian authorities, actively supports russian state propaganda in russia, the war against Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea, participates in russia's hybrid operations in Europe, and is closely associated with putin.
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War & Sanctions 2025
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