A Russian athlete implicated in the deportation of Ukrainian children has arrived in France for a tournament
Russian sabre fencer Yana Yegoryan, who is a serving lieutenant in the Russian Armed Forces and an ambassador for an organization implicated in the abduction of Ukrainian children, has arrived in France to compete in the European Fencing Championships.
The continental championship will take place in the French city of Antony from June 16 to 19, 2026.
The controversial athlete has already shared photos from Paris on her social media pages.
The International Fencing Federation, which has long been under the de facto control of sanctioned Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, recognized Yegoryan as a neutral athlete and officially admitted her to the international tournament.
This decision sparked outrage among the sports community due to the Russian athlete’s open pro-government activities.
The athlete is the official face and ambassador of the “Healthy Fatherland” movement, which is directly funded and supported by the Kremlin.
The “Healthy Fatherland” organization is currently subject to official sanctions by Ukraine.
It participates in a systematic mechanism of mass abduction, illegal deportation, and forced displacement of Ukrainian citizens, including children, from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.
In addition to collaborating with this criminal movement, Yegoryan has repeatedly demonstrated her loyalty to the political regime of the aggressor country.
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