russian athletes — agents of kremlin propaganda
The Center for Countering Disinformation of the NSDC, together with the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, continues to identify russian athletes who directly participated in the armed aggression against Ukraine. Data on six more para-athletes who combine their sports careers with service in the occupation forces have been added to the “Champions of Terror” section of the War&Sanctions portal.
▫️ The kremlin uses the Paralympic movement as a hybrid influence tool to return to global sports and justify russia’s terrorist actions. Participants of the war of aggression who became disabled during assaults on Ukrainian cities are now turned into the faces of propaganda projects aimed at glorifying the aggression.
New individuals added to the list include:
▫️ artem riepkin — lieutenant colonel of the russian armed forces and deputy commander of the 96th separate reconnaissance brigade; also a member of the chuvashia paralympic athletics team and a participant in the 2025 CISM World Championship in Ecuador.
▫️ dmytro borysov — captain of the russian armed forces who commanded a motorized rifle company of the 69th guards division during combat operations against Ukraine; a member of the russian paralympic powerlifting team and captain of the “smo” veterans’ sledge hockey team.
▫️ anton lishyk — senior warrant officer of the russian armed forces and an active participant in the war; a competitor at the 2024 CISM World Archery Championship.
▫️ andrii rovenskyi — a powerlifter and former paratrooper who voluntarily participated in combat operations in the occupied Luhansk region as a senior rifleman. He was awarded the “for courage” medal and publicly promotes military symbolism in the media.
russian athletes directly involved in the killing of Ukrainians must be fully isolated from international competitions, even under a neutral status. Systematic efforts to block russian agents of influence and strengthen sanctions pressure continue.
