Diver Sofia Lyskun, who previously played for the Ukrainian national team, changed her citizenship to Russian.
This was reported by propaganda media.
Lyskun stated that she decided to change her citizenship because of the allegedly incompetent approach to training athletes in Ukraine. According to her, the team management reprimanded her for her contacts with the first coach who left for Russia.
The girl also claims that there was a shortage of coaches in Kyiv, and some of the specialists came from other sports. Because of this, she allegedly did not see any progress and turned to a psychiatrist and psychotherapist.
According to her, the slogan “Sports Beyond Politics” was displayed at their swimming pool in Kyiv, but “it was the athletes who were under attack”. Lyskun said that it didn’t matter to her which country she was competing in.
In a comment to the publication "Champion", the President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine Vadym Hutzeit was surprised that the athlete made such a decision, because, according to him, she had a pro-Ukrainian position.
He said that according to the rules of the international federation, she will be able to compete for the Russian national team only in two years. However, from 2023, Russian athletes have the right to compete in international competitions only in a "neutral" status.
- Lyskun was born in Luhansk in 2002. During her performances as part of the Ukrainian national team, she won 11 medals at the European Championships and one award at the World Championships.
- She last competed as part of the national team at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in July 2025. There, she placed seventh in the team event.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.