What Happened to Russian Swimmer in Bosphorus?

On August 24, Russian swimmer Nikolai Svechnikov went missing during a swim across the Bosphorus, and since then his fate has remained unknown. Despite extensive searches, no trace of the athlete or his body has been found.

The «Bosphorus-2025» swim took place on August 24 from 10:00 to 14:00. Nikolai Svechnikov started from one end of the shore along with 2,800 swimmers. But the Muscovite never reached the other end. According to relatives, he could easily cover the 6.5-kilometer distance.

Svechnikov is an experienced swimmer who has repeatedly participated in challenging swims and is a candidate for master of sports. His sudden disappearance during what seemed like a routine distance for him raises many questions.

More than two months have passed since the athlete«s disappearance. Svechnikov»s mother does not rule out that he is alive. In this article, we examine the main theories about what could have happened to the swimmer.

1. Felt Unwell

Experts consider the most likely cause of Nikolai Svechnikov«s disappearance to be a sudden deterioration in health during the swim. Information from participants and specialists suggests that the athlete may have lost his bearings due to a sudden illness.

Participant Hayati Shamiloglu claims that Svechnikov unexpectedly changed direction in the strait. Instead of continuing the swim along the set route, he turned around and swam in the opposite direction.

Such behavior could have been caused by a sharp deterioration in physical condition, said athlete Alexei Akatiev.

“If he swam in the other direction, it«s either due to loss of orientation, meaning he felt really unwell. But then swimming in the other direction was a fatal mistake, it looks very strange… I still hold the view that some health problems arose, otherwise it»s hard to explain why he didn«t swim further or swam in the other direction,” said two-time world champion in open water swimming Alexei Akatiev in a conversation with “Arguments and Facts”.

2. Drowned

This version is common. The swimmer could have drowned, presumably under the Sultan Fatih Bridge, Turkish media write.

However, there is almost no hope of quickly finding Svechnikov using the special beacon issued to all participants. As Alexei Akatiev explained, these chips work differently and are triggered only when a person passes through a special frame. In other cases, the device does not send a signal.

The drowning version cannot yet be confirmed for sure. But if the tragedy did occur, the body may never be found.

According to experienced rescuer and diving specialist Anton Solodilov, there are two types of drowning: true and white. The first occurs when a person swallows water and sinks to the bottom under its weight. The body becomes bluish in color.

And white drowning typically occurs in cold water or for some other health-related reasons. A person goes into shock or spasm. The body remains on the surface and does not sink underwater. This, according to Anton Solodilov«s version, could have happened to Nikolai.

“No matter how experienced an athlete is, we don«t fully know our bodies. At some point, a blood clot could have dislodged or the heart could have stopped. Another common occurrence is a spasm of the glottis. He could have lost consciousness and remained on the surface. Here, apparently, he had a natural drowning,” the rescuer suggests.

3. Ran Away

Turkish newspaper Hurriyet suggested that the swimmer could have deliberately left the route and staged his disappearance. According to this theory, Svechnikov could have come ashore after the start and gotten rid of the chip bracelet. In Russian media, opinions were expressed that Svechnikov ran away from the special military operation or to a second family. However, the swimmer«s mother, Galina Svechnikova, refuted all these arguments.

“It has nothing to do with the special military operation. If he had been taken for the special military operation, it would have happened in 2022, now it«s 2025. You can»t create a family in one day—he«s in Istanbul for the first time. This version is not supported because Nikolai is the sole provider for his family—he has a small child, in such a situation a man has to work a lot. The question is, when to create a second family if you need to provide for the first? The person is at home every day and at work every day,” said Svechnikova in a conversation with RIA Novosti.

4. Survived but Can«t Get in Touch

Galina Svechnikova suggested that her son might be alive. According to her, Nikolai could have been carried away by the current, and now he is either unconscious somewhere on the shore or was picked up by local residents who are nursing him back to health, not knowing how to contact his relatives.

The woman also does not rule out that the athlete could have temporarily lost his memory due to injury or hypoxia. In such a state, he may not understand where he is and not know how to call for help. The situation is complicated by the language barrier—Nikolai does not speak Turkish, which makes it almost impossible for him to ask for help or explain who he is. Moreover, as it turned out, he was not even aware that a relative of his wife Alena lives in Istanbul, who is now actively participating in the search.

Despite the lack of confirmed data, Galina Svechnikova continues to believe that her son is alive and calls on anyone with any information to help in the search. Currently, investigative and rescue services do not comment on this version, but search operations have not ceased.

Search and Investigation

The swimmer«s family filed a complaint against the swim organizers with the Istanbul prosecutor»s office. Relatives are demanding that a criminal case be opened. Nikolai Svechnikov«s mother and brother have arrived in the capital of Turkey to find out at what stage the search operation is currently.

The swimmer«s relatives have announced a reward in exchange for information about him. The family is ready to pay about 950,000 rubles (approximately $9,500 at current rates) to anyone who knows anything about the athlete.

“We announced a reward of 500,000 lira for information on his whereabouts,” said a relative of Svechnikov«s wife, Alena Karaman, in an interview with TASS.

The wife of the missing swimmer from Moscow, Antonina Svechnikova, plans to sue the swim organizers.

Today, October 31, it became known that active searches for the swimmer have ended. The investigation into this case continues. This was reported by TASS with reference to the Russian General Consulate in Istanbul.

“The investigation into the case is still ongoing, as no significant evidence confirming the death of N. A. Svechnikov has been found so far,” clarified the consulate.

They also emphasized that following the investigative measures, the competent authorities of Turkey will provide information on the results of the investigation.