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

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

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.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

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