Pain and Injustice in Bosphorus Swimmer Nikolai Sveshnikov's Death Case
The family has started a fundraiser to transport Nikolai Sveshnikov«s body from Istanbul to Moscow.
The body of swimmer Nikolai Sveshnikov, who went missing after a swim in the Bosphorus, was found almost six months after his disappearance. The day before, Turkish rescuers discovered the body of a man in a wetsuit with tattoos in the strait. The athlete«s family flew to Istanbul for identification and a DNA test. An examination showed that the body indeed belongs to Nikolai Sveshnikov. MSK1.RU tells everything known about the investigation into the tragedy at this hour.
The swimmer«s body was discovered less than a kilometer from the finish line of the race.
Candidate for Master of Sports in swimming Nikolai Sveshnikov took part in a swim across the Bosphorus Strait in August 2025. The athlete started together with three thousand participants but never reached the shore. The search for the Russian began only 12 hours after the first reports that one of the swimmers had not finished. As relatives and friends of Nikolai say, he was an experienced swimmer and was capable of covering the distance. Crossing the strait was a long-held dream of the Muscovite.
Galina Sveshnikova gave her first interview after arriving in Istanbul to identify her son«s body.
Body Found in the Bosphorus
Authorities initially promised Galina Sveshnikova the DNA test results the following morning.
Employees discovered the corpse of a man in a swimsuit during work to clean the Bosphorus waters on Tuesday, 20 January 2026. The body was found near the shores of the Kuruçeşme district in Beşiktaş—not far from the finish line. After that, the employees called the police, and rescuers arrived at the scene. Police suggested that the body might belong to the missing swimmer and notified the family.
Nikolai«s parents spoke to reporters after the DNA test confirmed the body was their son.
Nikolai«s relative Alena Karaman, who lives in Istanbul, went to the police and morgue for identification. In a conversation with an MSK1.RU correspondent, she suggested that »it could be him 99%.«
The investigation into Nikolai Sveshnikov«s death continues as the family seeks answers.
Nikolai«s mother and father flew from Russia to Turkey and also requested assistance from the Russian General Consulate in Istanbul.
In the evening of the same day, the body of the man found in the Bosphorus was delivered to the morgue of the Istanbul Institute of Forensic Medicine. Alena went there to understand the circumstances of the death. But she was not allowed into the morgue itself.
«I am not allowed to identify the body because I am not a close relative», Alena told MSK1.RU.
The woman reported that a prosecutor handling the investigation of this case arrived at the morgue. To help forensic experts in determining the identity of the unknown man, Alena handed over several photographs of the missing Nikolai that could aid in identification.
«I gave a photo of the groin tattoo to the forensic expert. She took it from me to compare with the body of the found man, but said that the answer to whether it is Nikolai or not can still only be given by the parents», Alena told us.
«I Really Hope It«s Not Him»
The next day, Nikolai Sveshnikov«s parents flew to Istanbul to take a DNA test and for identification. At the airport, they were met by an MSK1.RU correspondent.
«We will definitely look (at the body found in the Bosphorus. — Ed.), because he has certain tattoos. A mother knows her son, in any case I need to see him. That is the first desire. I don«t know if an autopsy has been done yet. If it is him, then I really want to know what happened to him», she said.
Galina admitted that she flew to Turkey «with terrible feelings». Despite the coincidences, she until the last did not want to believe that her son was found in the strait.
«Now many media write that it is definitely him, — Galina Sveshnikova said. — I want to take the DNA test, see him.»
She said she learned about what happened from Alena. Then she saw footage of the body recovery in Turkish media.
DNA Test Results
The family gave a DNA sample but was not allowed to identify the body. According to her, the body could only be shown with a positive test result.
«They took DNA from me and from Nikolai«s father. Tomorrow there will be a result. They did not show us the body, — Galina Sveshnikova told MSK1.RU after leaving the Istanbul morgue. — Very heavy feelings, because we wanted to see our son… Perhaps it is him. Very hard.»
In the evening of the same day, without waiting for morning, experts confirmed that the body belongs to Nikolai Sveshnikov. Galina barely held back tears. She said that, despite the confirmation of identity, she would go again to the Istanbul morgue for identification.
Information about the DNA test results was also communicated to Nikolai«s wife; at the time of the call, she was alone. Antonina did not come to Istanbul due to a small child, who turned one year old in December.
«Pain, despair, some kind of monstrous injustice. Why it«s like this, I don»t understand. Very painful», Galina shared with the publication.
Identification at the Morgue and Inconsistencies in the Case
The next day, Alena Karaman said that the family was given a protocol on the completion of the procedure. At the morgue, the parents were shown photographs of the deformed body on a screen, then led to it; the corpse lay in a closed bag. The mother could only touch her deceased son.
The family«s lawyer, Alperen Chakmak, said that establishing the exact cause of death will take from three months to half a year—it will be difficult since the body lay in water for five months. He also added that after the autopsy, the family had questions: it turned out in police that the corpse has no head and hands.
«Most likely, they will write «drowned» (death from asphyxiation in water). At the same time, we have serious questions. In police, I learned that the corpse has no head, no hands. If fish had eaten it underwater, bones would have remained. Fish eat skin, meat, but bones remain.
When we asked external experts, they said, like, the body got into a ship«s propeller or motor, and the head was torn off. But that is also not very logical», he explained.
The lawyer also reported that the swimmer«s relatives will apply for compensation. The situation is complicated by the fact that Sveshnikov did not have insurance as a participant in the swim.
When asked by an MSK1.RU correspondent whether the swim organizers are in contact with the family, the lawyer stated that he tried several times to establish contact with them. But there was no response.
«We tried several times to contact the organizers, but could not establish any contact. However, here«s the thing: whether it»s our statement to the prosecutor«s office or the case on the conducted search and rescue operations—in all of them, there are our contact details, as well as the consulate»s. That is, everyone related to this incident already has contact information», he said.
Now Nikolai«s family is handling the paperwork. They opened a fundraiser to transport his body to Moscow. The Turkish National Olympic Committee refused payments to the family.
Earlier, Nikolai«s mother Galina offered a reward of one million rubles (approximately $10,000 at current rates) to find out any information about her son»s fate. In early December 2025, she went to Turkey to get an answer from local authorities. Even psychics joined the search. We published a large interview with Galina Sveshnikova, who came to the shores of the Bosphorus on her son«s 30th birthday. Returning to her homeland, the swimmer»s mother appealed for help to Vladimir Putin.
Everything known about the disappearance and death of Nikolai Sveshnikov, we collect in a separate story.
