A case has been opened against the Russian athletes for the arbitrary abandonment of the unit

A criminal case has been initiated against the Russian fencers – spouses Sergei and Violetta Byda – under the article on the arbitrary abandonment of a military unit. Earlier, they were declared wanted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A married couple, a member of the Russian Olympic team, lives and trains in the USA.

Presumably, the basis for the persecution of the Byd spouses is that in Russia, Sergey played for the Dynamo Moscow sports club, which was connected to the law enforcement agencies, and had the rank of an officer of the Russian Guard. Violetta played for CSKA, affiliated with the army: SKA and CSKA athletes are formally considered active military personnel.

The Bida family moved to the USA in the summer of 2023. Spouses work as trainers at the Fencing Academy in San Jose and continue their own training and performances. The athletes participated in the US championship in the summer in a neutral status. After that, the senior coach of the Russian national team, Alexander Glazunov, was dismissed due to the participation of his wards in American competitions without the consent of Russia.

• Sergey Byda – silver medalist of the 2020 Olympic Games in the team tournament, three-time European champion in team competitions, two-time medalist of the world championships. His wife, Violetta Bida, is a medalist of the 2019 World and European Championship in epee fencing, a participant in the 2020 Olympic Games.