Mother Finds Disfigured Body of Missing Swimmer Son in Turkey

Five months of uncertainty, hopes, and fears ended in tragedy: the mother of missing swimmer Nikolai Sveshnikov went to Turkey several times to search for her son and hoped to see him alive. The world followed the search for the athlete. People completely unfamiliar with Nikolai«s family read about various versions of his disappearance, but few knew or saw what his mother actually went through, who came to search for her son and found a disfigured body.

An MSK1.RU correspondent spent two days with the Sveshnikov family in Istanbul and saw what others missed in this commotion. What follows — in first person.

“I Hope It«s Not My Son”

Behind the loud news story, I saw first and foremost a huge tragedy and the pain of a very ordinary family, of which there are thousands in Russia, and indeed all over the world. A very ordinary woman from the small town of Zheleznogorsk in Kursk Oblast suddenly became known worldwide because of what happened to her child. She never sought to become a media personality, but by force of circumstances, Galina Sveshnikova had to find herself in the crosshairs of hundreds of cameras.

“I never wanted publicity. It«s very hard! — Nikolai»s mother admits to me as we walk to the airport parking lot in Istanbul. — It just so happened that through the media, I called on the public to continue searching for my son, and my daughter-in-law Antonina went to various authorities: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the sports committee, to a reception with the president.”

I am sure any mother would understand Galina Sveshnikova«s feelings: to raise a son, rejoice in his successes, the birth of a grandchild — and then emptiness and long, agonizing uncertainty: a sporty, healthy, handsome guy didn»t finish after a swim and disappeared without a trace.

The mother and father instantly lost the son they lovingly raised, cherished, and rejoiced in his adult successes, and Nikolai«s wife — Antonina — lost the person with whom she planned to walk through life, build a future, and raise a child. She was left alone, without financial support and with a small child in her arms. And the swimmer»s little son celebrated his first birthday without ever knowing what it«s like — to sit in his dad»s arms.

The first time I met Galina Sveshnikova was back in December on the Bosphorus Strait — Nikolai«s mother hurried to visit where her son was last seen alive, on his birthday. Even the “Carpets” in Moscow airports and Istanbul traffic jams didn»t stop her from making it to the swim start location before 11 December 2025 became history. Several months of uncertainty, worries, hopes, and tears, the woman poured out into the dark waters of the strait. Like any mother, she wanted to know what happened to her boy.

Galina Sveshnikova got an answer to her question a month later. On 20 January, news spread around the world: early in the morning during cleanup work in the Bosphorus waters, a body of an unknown man was found.

“Is it him? Or maybe not him? Do you know anything? — Nikolai«s mother asked me with anxiety and hope when I called her to check the information. — I hope it»s not my son.”

The police suggested that the corpse might belong to the Russian athlete who disappeared in August. The first to know about this was Alena Karaman — a distant relative of Antonina, Nikolai Sveshnikov«s wife. The girl has lived in Istanbul for many years and helped the Moscow swimmer»s family in every way she could from the first day of his disappearance.

“I was the one at the identification by photographs. By the suit and build, I understood that it was 90% similar, — Alena said. — I wasn«t allowed into the institution where the body is identified. The information that it»s 100% known to be Nikolai is incorrect, as the DNA test hasn«t been done yet.”

“A Mother Knows Her Son”

Five months of uncertainty would have broken many, but Galina Sveshnikova continues to bear this burden for long days. Behind this endurance — sleepless nights, tears cried into the pillow, and pain that is impossible to come to terms with. She endures the most wounding details of her Nikolai«s tragic fate and holds on only because she is a mother and cannot do otherwise.

“Alena called. She said there was news. Then we immediately started scrolling through the media, — the mother sighs. — In Russia, there is a video where they are pulling him out. For me, it was terrible. Shock! I think such videos shouldn«t be made.”

After this, Nikolai«s parents decided to urgently fly to Istanbul. A sleepless night on the road by car from Zheleznogorsk, then long, agonizing hours on the plane. All this time, from the media, like from a horn of plenty, unreliable and loud statements poured in that the found unidentified swimmer — was her son. Even before DNA tests and official confirmations.

“The state is terrible, because the media write that it«s definitely him, — the words come with difficulty for the woman. — I want to look at his tattoos, because a mother knows her son. In any case, I need to see him. Now I»m ready for anything, because five months of waiting… Can«t be put into words!”

“If It«s Confirmed That It»s Him”

On the way to the airport, we talk with Alena. She does most of the talking — shares experiences, fears, and dissatisfaction; fakes around Nikolai Sveshnikov irritate her greatly. And she also remembered that one of the psychics said that the family would receive news about the son from 11 to 22 January. A day before the allotted time, Galina and her husband landed in Istanbul.

Immediately upon arrival, the family had to endure the first test — Turkish media were waiting for them at the exit from the jet bridge and surrounded them, not letting them pass. Galina was nervous, seeing journalists who were poking microphones at her and saying something in an unfamiliar language. Andrei Sveshnikov stood next to his wife, not uttering a word, although his feelings were clearly readable on his face. Meanwhile, Nikolai«s parents were also awaited by Alena, who translated for them from Russian to Turkish, a diplomat from the Russian General Consulate, and forensic examination staff.

The Sveshnikovs came out, hugged Alena. They have no luggage, only light bags — the bare essentials they managed to gather before the trip. Galina recognized me and hugged me like an old acquaintance. She says: “I hope that this time I came to Istanbul for a short while.”

For two days, I had to be not only a journalist but also a driver for the Sveshnikov family. At the Istanbul forensic institution, an army of journalists awaited us — Russian, Turkish, and other media from other countries. The first wave of media attention was taken by the consular car. We, with the family, who literally froze in tense anticipation, quietly followed in an inconspicuous hastily rented Fiat.

“They took our DNA — mine and Nikolai«s father»s — and said that the result would be ready tomorrow morning. We will wait for this result. They didn«t show us the body — that can only be done after the DNA result, if it»s confirmed that it«s him… — Galina tells me. — Very heavy feelings, because we came to see our son. Possibly, it»s him. Hard, very hard!”

Exhausting waiting lasts several hours: the family«s lawyer hustled to get the results as soon as possible. However, before official data appeared, conflicting information began to seep into the media: the DNA examination matched, the unidentified man in the Istanbul morgue — is the son of Galina and Andrei Sveshnikov. The media again jump the gun and seem to predict events.

Initially, the examination results were promised to be announced the next morning, so, taking a deep breath of hope, we went to Alena«s home. The stream of cars in the endless Istanbul traffic jam moves slowly, and Nikolai»s parents are tired after a stressful (both physically and emotionally) day, communicating with the press.

Through the rain and hypnotizing wipers on the windshield, I was staring at the bumper of the car crawling in front of us when Alena«s phone rang. Hanging up, she suddenly addressed me in Turkish. Probably so that Galina and her husband wouldn»t understand: Alena is afraid that the mother, exhausted by the road and flight, will feel bad.

— Anya, it«s confirmed. God, I don»t know how to tell them now… — Alena, in confusion, asks for my advice.

— Maybe at home? There«s not much left, — I suggest. — They»ll eat a little, and after that in a calmer setting you«ll tell them?

— What if they learn from the media now? — she worries. — That would be even worse… Damn, I don«t know what to do!

We decided to say everything now, without delay. At that moment, we notice the lights of a large hospital on the right. Alena is afraid that the mother, exhausted by the road and flight, will feel bad, and asks to stop near it. I pull over to the shoulder with the hazard lights on and don«t turn off the engine.

The girl lights a cigarette and gathers strength for a long time before saying out loud: the match is one hundred percent. The corpse found in the Bosphorus — is the son of Galina and Andrei Sveshnikov. At that moment, the Istanbul rain beats fiercely against the windshield — as if the city itself becomes a backdrop to the tragedy that is about to unfold in the car.

“Thank God it was so quick, — the mother crushed by grief says through tears. — We searched for him for so long, I want to see him. I felt this morning that it might be him.”

I express condolences to the family, want to cry with them. The mother, enveloped in pain from the loss of a loved one, shrinks on the back seat. Next to her sits her husband, supporting her and smoking cigarette after cigarette out the open window. It«s harder for Alena: the phone is ringing off the hook with calls and messages from journalists, she doesn»t have a second to comprehend the grief that has befallen.

Silently, I engage the gear, drive three people and their enormous pain home. On the way, Nikolai«s parents relay the tragic news to Antonina — his wife, who stayed with a small child in Moscow. The rain floods the windshield, as if nature itself mourns with the family.

“Don«t Ask Anything More”

The next morning, the parents of the swimmer who died in the Bosphorus went through the impossible. After completing paper formalities, the family was led to a screen with photographs of Nikolai«s body. Galina Sveshnikova begged to show what remained of her son. Five months in water left marks that cannot be hidden, but the mother remained adamant: she wanted to see her son herself, touch him, feel at least a small connection with the one she lost. In the morgue, the mother touches her son through a bag…

I wait outside. Through Istanbul clouds, the sun breaks through. At that moment, the mother comes out of the morgue, noticing nothing around. It seems that the entire surrounding world has ceased to exist for her: street noise, passersby, even the rain — everything became a backdrop for her boundless loss. Galina, paying no attention to anyone, as if the whole world doesn«t exist, sits in the back seat of the car, sobs long and quietly, mourning her handsome, kind, sporty son who left too early.

Nikolai«s father, a former athlete himself, stands nearby, smokes, and is silent. It»s incredibly hard for him: women cry, speak out, but he, in a manly way, holds his grief inside, while enduring unbearable pain himself. Alena«s phone is ringing off the hook: journalists at the exit from the morgue await details.

“It«s hard for us to give any comments now. A big request, please, in this very difficult moment, don»t bother us, don«t ask anything more, I beg you! — Alena desperately asks. — We need to resolve the issue with transporting the body, and we don»t have enough funds now.”

I think about what it«s like: to grieve, experience one»s pain and despair in the crosshairs of dozens of cameras and hundreds of thousands of indifferent eyes, which will forget about what happened by tomorrow. When the heart simply explodes from pain into a million shards. When you just want to be left alone, want to be alone with your gaping wound in the soul.

I became an involuntary witness to how hard it was for the family to read caustic comments and fakes — at a time when the burden of loss is already unbearable, when the pain is intolerable.

“Fear, Horror, Denial”

“Grief, despair, monstrous injustice. Why like this, I don«t understand. It hurts so much! — Galina cries. — There was fear, horror, denial that this couldn»t happen to him, because he was very well prepared physically. A person who did sports all his life, trained many guys, traveled a lot for training. I really want to understand what really happened.”

Now, most of all, Galina wants to find out what actually happened then, in August, in the restless waters of the Bosphorus. According to the family«s lawyer, the examination could last from 3 to 6 months. Alperen Chakmak laments that while searching for Nikolai, the organizers didn»t get in touch with him or the swimmer«s family.

“After this, the mother, father, wife, and child were left without a breadwinner, in a difficult situation. Therefore, we will pursue a case for compensation payment, — he stated. — Honestly, even if we leave aside the compensation issue, they could have asked if the family had any needs during the search and rescue operations? Is any support needed, what can we do? Overall, they showed no interest.”

“So Many People Responded When the Misfortune Happened”

Behind the screaming headlines of this story, real friendship, support, and mutual aid remained in the shadows. Those who knew Nikolai personally came to the aid of his family: friends, students, comrades, and all those people for whom he became a person who left a mark on their lives.

“Kolya has very many friends, very many! So many people responded when this misfortune happened,” — Galina Sveshnikova warmly recalls her son.

In the story of the Sveshnikov family with its tragic outcome, I saw many manifestations of mercy and willingness to help — even if just a little, within their means, in the simplest, at first glance, little things. Ordinary humanity, which we sometimes lose in the rush of days, but which surfaces and becomes tangible precisely in critical moments.

This is not only Alena Karaman — a person who took on everything: organization, translations, communication with the media, to ease the family«s burden in a foreign city when it seemed that strength had run out. Lawyer Alperen Chakmak made accommodations, showing that help is sometimes measured not in papers, but in attention, time, and sincere care. The head of the diving service, Nurettin Unal, dived into the cold waters of the Bosphorus in search of Nikolai and at the same time morally supported Galina Sveshnikova. Even an Istanbul taxi driver, not knowing the family personally, provided as much help as he could. And it is this support that gave Nikolai Sveshnikov»s loved ones the strength to endure what would otherwise have been unbearable.

P.S.

On 24 January, exactly five months after the disappearance, Nikolai Sveshnikov«s body was delivered to his homeland. Ahead are the funeral service, burial, and legal proceedings for compensation. The Muscovite»s loved ones will have to reassemble the pieces of their lives after everything collapsed and the world split into before and after: parents without a son, a wife — without a husband, and a little boy who will never again be able to hug his dad.

“It«s good that we found him. It»s good that we are taking him to his homeland. And it«s good that we know where he is. The bad thing, of course, is that this happened to him. We can»t even understand how we«ll live without him now…” — Galina Sveshnikova falls silent.

Everything known about the death of 30-year-old Nikolai Sveshnikov, read in our material. We also reported where exactly the swimmer was found, and looked into whether the swim across the Bosphorus is dangerous. We tell about the tragedy in the Sveshnikov family in a separate story.