July 12, 2023

Russian Fake Syrians


Russian Fake Syrians
Poster of Arab Sports Games 2023 www.arabgames2023.dz

Journalist Sergey Lisin discovered that five Russian athletes with altered identities are listed as members of the Syrian team at the Arab Games that recently began in Algeria.

In particular, badminton player Darya Dzhedzhula is now listed as Dasha Dhedhula, while her date of birth has been modified from November 19, 1995, to November 19, 1999. Cyclists Tatyana and Darya Malkova are now referred to as Tatia and Darie Malko, respectively. Track and field athlete Karina Poludkina’s name has been shortened to Karina Polud, and swimmer Anastasiya Sorokina is now known as Enas Sorkine.

It is important to note that all these athletes possess Russian citizenship and are officially registered as Russian athletes. Russian authorities claim to have had no knowledge of their involvement in the Arab Games.

Sergey Kovpanets, head coach of the cycling team, expressed astonishment, referring to it as a "venture." He said, "We ourselves are shocked by this information and are currently investigating what transpired." Vladimir Salnikov, President of the Russian Swimming Federation, said that the invitation process was conducted privately, involving individuals lacking necessary authority.

Partially substantiating these claims, the athletes themselves have provided some insights into their participation. They claim to have received commercial offers, with Darya Malkova clarifying that she was invited to Algeria as a sparring partner for local athletes. Allegedly, participation in the actual competition was never discussed.

However, journalists from Sports.ru have uncovered a recruitment advertisement targeting individuals interested in representing the Syrian national team. The recruiter, Ruslan, revealed that athletes were offered the opportunity to undergo training in Syria and subsequently participate in the Arab Games as part of the national team. The Syrian side offered a compensation package, covering transportation and accommodation expenses, and a $5,000 salary for a two-month period. Additionally, a temporary Syrian passport was to be provided. According to Ruslan, the scarcity of available athletes in Syria necessitated this recruitment effort.

"The country is in ruins, with hardly any sports facilities," he said. "Since 2015, they had no time for sports at all."

 

You Might Also Like

Espionage on Ice
  • July 03, 2023

Espionage on Ice

Poland has arrested a Russian hockey player for espionage.
Handshake Havoc
  • May 31, 2023

Handshake Havoc

A Ukrainian tennis player's handshake snub sparks controversy at the 2023 French Open.
From Splash to Hash
  • May 03, 2023

From Splash to Hash

Russian Olympic swimmer arrested in India on drug dealing charges.
Wimbledon Opens Its Doors
  • April 07, 2023

Wimbledon Opens Its Doors

Wimbledon lifted a ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players in time for its 2023 tournament.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955