Award-winning Russian freestyle skiers supported the war against Ukraine.

Members of the Russian freestyle ski team organized a photoshoot with St. George ribbons. This was reported by 'Glavkom' citing the Base of Ukrainian sports.

It is noted that Russian freestyle skier Maxim Burov liked posts on Instagram featuring Putin and Russian military personnel involved in the war against Ukraine.

Additionally, in May 2022, Russian freestyle skiers Lyubov Nikitina, Stanislav Nikitin, Maxim Burov, Yesenia Pantukhova, and Ilya Burov took photos with St. George ribbons.

This ribbon has long been one of the symbols of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Moreover, the prohibition regarding its use is explicitly mentioned in the IOC recommendations for neutral athletes.

It should be noted that award-winning Russian figure skaters Ivan Bukin and Alexandra Stepanova, who want to obtain neutral status and participate in the Olympics, turned out to be supporters of the sanctioned propagandist singer Shaman (Yaroslav Dronov).

It is reported that Ivan Bukin is subscribed to Shaman's page on Instagram. Alexandra Stepanova liked and commented on one of Shaman's posts on Instagram.

It is worth noting that for supporting Russian aggression, Shaman has been included in the sanctions lists of Ukraine, Canada, and the EU.

Bukin and Stepanova are two-Time European vice-champions (2019, 2022), three-time bronze medalists at European championships (2015, 2018, 2020), world junior champions (2013), and winners of the junior Grand Prix final (2012). They are four-time champions of Russia (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025), four-time vice-champions of Russia (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), and two-time bronze medalists at Russian championships (2015, 2016).

As reported, the IOC called for allowing Russian athletes to qualify for the 2026 Olympics.

2026 Olympic Games

According to sources from SVT, the International Olympic Committee has clearly outlined its contacts with both the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and the International Ski Federation (FIS).

They do not say: 'Do this, or you will not receive funding from us.' But they clearly state that they want to find a solution that allows neutral athletes to participate in the Winter Olympic Games. They genuinely want to achieve this and hope that we will permit neutral athletes to qualify for the next season,' quotes SVT a source in the IBU.

The 2026 Olympic Games will take place from February 6 to 22 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy).