Ukrainian Biathletes Show Support for Colleague’s Move to Russia

Backing for Yuliia Zhuravok

According to Главком: Several Ukrainian biathletes have publicly supported former national team member Yuliia Zhuravok, who has explained her decision to relocate to Russia. Zhuravok, who competed for Ukraine from 2011 onward, now lives in Russia and works as an instructor at a ski club. She stated:

“I made my choice consciously, and I don’t regret it. Today I am where I am valued. Where my experience and knowledge are needed. Only those who were by my side during hard times have the right to judge me.”

Zhuravok’s post, in which she outlined her reasoning, received likes from a number of Ukrainian biathletes, including:

• Valeriia Dmytrenko
• Anna Kryvonos
• Liubov Kypiachenkova
• Nadiia Bielkina

Olympic champion Valentyna Semerenko also liked the message, along with former naturalized Russian athletes Olha Abramova and Mariia Panfilova. Among those showing support were Serhii Zots, senior coach of the men’s B team, and former biathlete Vitalii Kilchytskyi.

Sports Career and Move to Russia

Born in Anzhero-Sudzhensk, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia, Yuliia Zhuravok won world junior titles twice: the relay in 2012 and the individual event in 2015. Her top World Cup result was 10th place in the individual race in Östersund in 2016. After taking a career break for maternity leave in 2020, it became known in late 2022 that she had ended her sports career. She last trained with the Ukrainian team ahead of the 2022/23 season.

In early July 2026, the Russian club 'Katay Tekhnichno' introduced Zhuravok as a new employee. The club’s founder and head coach is Russian military figure Yevgeniy Lysak. In 2025, Zhuravok was still living and working in Ukraine, but later chose to move to Russia. She remarked:

“My birthplace is Anzhero-Sudzhensk, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia. Where I was born, that’s where I belong.”

This situation has sparked lively debate within the sports community, as Ukrainian biathletes’ support for Zhuravok may highlight the complex emotional and social ties among athletes who once represented the same country but now find themselves on opposite sides of the political divide. Zhuravok’s relocation to Russia also reflects the personal and professional choices athletes face amid the shifting landscape in Ukraine and globally.

The recent decision of Yuliia Zhuravok has drawn parallels to other athletes making significant career choices, such as figure skater Zhilina, who was recently granted permission to compete for Azerbaijan. Both cases highlight the evolving landscape of sports nationality and the personal journeys athletes undertake. To learn more about Zhilina's situation and the implications of such transitions, read our detailed coverage here.