The Russian fencer Bida, who was wanted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was fired from CSKA in October
Russian fencer Violetta Bida, who fled with her husband Sergei Bida to the United States, is not an active officer in the Russian army. Svetlana Ishmuratova, CSKA Deputy Head for Military-Political Work, stated this to Match TV.
“Violetta Bida is not our employee; she was fired in October,” said Ishmuratova. She noted that all questions should be addressed to the Russian Fencing Federation.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs put fencers Violetta Bida and Sergei Bida on the wanted list. According to the Shot Telegram channel, they face up to ten years in prison under Article 337 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Unauthorized abandonment of a unit or place of service”).
In 2023, the couple left for the United States to move to California. Sergei Bida was a member of the Moscow Dynamo and had the rank of ensign of the Russian Guard, and his wife was an active service member of the Ministry of Defense in the capital’s CSKA. In the States, athletes took part in competitions without the consent of the Russian side, thus violating the regulations.
Sergei Bida is a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the team epee fencing tournament. He also became the European champion three times in the team. Violetta Bida has silver medals at the World Championships and the European Championships in the team epee tournament.
Source: Lenta
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