Missing swimmer's body found near Bosphorus finish line after six-month search
The body of Moscow swimmer Nikolai Svecnikov, who went missing during an intercontinental Bosphorus swim in August 2025, was found on January 20, 2026. It was discovered near the shore between the Istanbul district of Kuruçeşme and Galatasaray Island—just a kilometer from the finish line. This was reported to relatives today. MSK1.RU has drawn a map of the swim.
The swim starts on the Asian shore of Turkey and ends in the European part of the country, in the Cemil Topuzlu Park in the Kuruçeşme district. Many consider the final segment of the distance to be the most treacherous.
What is this swim and is it dangerous?
The Bosphorus swim is 6.5 kilometers along the current of one of the world«s busiest straits. For thousands of amateur swimmers from around the globe, it has become a personal challenge and a dream come true. Experienced participants note that success and the best result—that is, the minimum time—here depends not so much on strength as on tactics and the ability to »catch« the favorable current.
The logic is this: since the swim goes with the current, you need to catch it and stay in it as long as possible. That you are moving in the right direction is indicated by the water temperature—in the favorable current, it is lower. It runs through the center, and participants try to remain in the middle. One of the swim participants notes in his blog that the main difficulty is orientation: the width of the strait changes, and you need to constantly check with shoreline objects to not deviate from the optimal trajectory.
But some call the Bosphorus a «deceptively easy» distance. Especially at the end—at some point, the current changes direction and becomes not favorable, but opposing.
«At the finish, there is an opposing current. You will hit it no matter what. It is very strong. Do not fight it under any circumstances. Swim about a hundred meters to the center, get into the channel, and swim to the finish with the current,» advised one of the swimmers in his blog.
It is on the last kilometer that swimmers often raise their hands and «withdraw» from participation, believes another amateur athlete who swam the Bosphorus in 2023.
«People who turned sharply to the right right after Galatasaray [an island near the finish] said that it was quite hard to swim against the current. It seems like from there, even by boat, a couple of those who gave up and stopped the swim were taken out, not realizing to return to the center and turn towards the shore further, closer to the finish,» said a participant.
«I, a person without a leg, did it—I swam across»
In a conversation with an MSK1.RU correspondent, para-athlete Dmitry Ignatov, who successfully completed the distance, called the swim not difficult for a prepared person.
«If you train at least three times a week for a year… If you are an athlete, then for you it»s nonsense,« he believes.
Ignatov suggests that with Svecnikov, an experienced, though not professional swimmer, something unforeseen could have happened: heart problems, getting into an unexpected cold current, or even a desire to help someone in the water.
«We don»t know what happened to him… I, a person with a disability, did it—I swam across. Without a leg. So anyone can do it,« shared the para-athlete. »This is a free, mass swim, people can take a break by switching to breaststroke [swimming style], and talk a bit with each other, like, how«s the swim going?»
Amateur swimmer Polina Balaeva, who prepared for the swim for about a year, also did not encounter any particular difficulties.
«My swim went completely without any problems. There was current throughout the entire swim. Yes, it changes, sometimes stronger and weaker. But I had no difficulties,» she told MSK1.RU.
Investigation
According to some participants, there were insufficient observation and rescue boats on the distance. Svecnikov«s disappearance was discovered only a few hours after the start.
Now, the incident is being investigated by the Istanbul prosecutor«s office. The swimmer»s family lawyer stated that he will seek to establish all those involved in negligence and demand compensation.
Literally yesterday, the body was officially identified through DNA testing and shown to relatives. The cause of death has not yet been established. Now, Svecnikov«s family has announced a collection—they lack money for transporting the body.
