The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has put titled fencers on the wanted list for criminal charges and spouses Sergei and Violetta Bida. We are talking about silver medalists at the Olympics and World Championships. They face from five to ten years of imprisonment for unauthorized leaving a military unit or place of service. A huge scandal that could have consequences.
Titles and escapeSergey is a leader in world fencing; as a member of the Russian team at the Tokyo Games in 2021, he became a silver medalist. Moreover, he has an excellent pedigree. His grandmother Valentina Rastvorova is the 1960 Olympic champion and five-time world champion in foil fencing. Sergei's mother Valentina Grishin also achieved considerable success, becoming a medalist at world championships and winning the title of champion of the USSR and Russia.
But that's not all. Bida's grandfather Boris Grishin took silver and bronze at the Olympics in water polo, and his uncle Evgeniy Grishin became the winner of the Moscow Olympics in the same discipline. Sergei’s wife does not have such an illustrious dynasty in her family. However, Violetta Bida (nee Khrapina) is a silver medalist at the World Championship and is generally considered a strong athlete. How did it happen that they simply fled the country, while still being active military personnel?
It all started when the couple moved to America in 2023 and became trainers at the Academy of Fencing Masters. At the same time, they did not end their careers, but, obviously, they destroyed all the bridges to return home. Sergei and Violetta did not warn anyone in the Russian Fencing Federation (RFF), which, of course, they were extremely unhappy with. They would probably have been released kindly, but the Bida couple chose a different path. As a result, their mentor was injured due to the athlete’s unauthorized escape. The Federation relieved Alexander Glazunov of his position as head coach of the men's epee team of Russian fencers.
In mid-summer, Sergei was allowed to participate in the US Fencing Championship. And this is where the fun begins. For the speech, USA Fencing demanded that Russian and Belarusian athletes condemn the SVO and the actions of Russia and Belarus in the conflict. Apparently, Bida agreed to the conditions put forward. According to Reuters, he, as well as two other Russians, Sergei Lokhanov and Oleg Knysh, were allowed to participate in the US championship in Arizona. Violetta would have gone there too, but she missed the competition due to pregnancy.
“They are, first and foremost, military personnel.” In addition, the couple starred in a documentary film by the British BBC called “The Difficult Fate of Russian Defectors in the USA.” There, Violetta, in particular, stated that she was included in all blacklists in Russia and was not allowed to speak because of the video that she published on social networks. It is not reported which frames we are talking about, but in general one can guess its approximate content. They, together with Sergei, did not hide the fact that they left the country due to disagreement with the government’s political course. As a result, the matter came to criminal prosecution.
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"Bida Sergey Olegovich… Grounds for search: wanted under an article of the Criminal Code. Date of birth: February 13, 1993,” says the Ministry of Internal Affairs website.
The same card is in the name of his wife. It was most logical to assume that this happened because of their direct relationship with the country's armed forces. At that time, Sergei was listed as an ensign of the Russian Guard, and Violetta was a CSKA athlete in the Russian Ministry of Defense. Since they left the country without notifying management, the consequences could be very serious.
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“The fact that they were put on the wanted list is direct evidence of their escape from Russia as military personnel to the United States of America. They are military personnel, first of all, they made an illegal decision to leave the country and act in a neutral status for a country that is enemy to us. How can I support this? This disappoints me,” said former President of the Russian Fencing Federation Alexander Mikhailov.
Following this, an informed source reported that Russian epee fencers are involved in a criminal case regarding unauthorized leaving of a unit or place of service. Now they face a sentence of imprisonment for a term of 5 to 10 years.
The athletes themselves have not yet given any comments and, judging by social networks, are enjoying life in America. The BBC documentary contained information that they could be given US citizenship in an accelerated manner, then they would supposedly have a chance to compete at the Olympics in Paris. How realistic this is, we will find out very soon. This is a serious precedent for Russian sports and a hint to other athletes who are thinking about moving to another country.
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