Parents of swimmer Sveshnikov speak after body found in Bosphorus
On the night of January 21, DNA testing confirmed the death of the swimmer from Moscow Nikolai Sveshnikov, who disappeared five months ago during a competition in Istanbul. All this time, the athlete«s family did not give up attempts to find him—alive or dead. The parents appealed to Turkish authorities, the president of Russia, came themselves to search and refused to receive a death certificate without a body.
After nearly six months, a man«s body in a wetsuit was discovered in the Bosphorus Strait during a cleanup of the water body. The parents, who urgently flew from Moscow to Istanbul, were only allowed to come for identification after providing a DNA test.
The search story was followed by all of Russia and the international community. MSK1.RU accompanied the swimmer«s family during emotionally difficult procedures. We publish the first interview with the parents after the news of their son»s death.
29-year-old Muscovite Nikolai Sveshnikov took part in a race across the Bosphorus in August 2025. The athlete was the only one out of 3,000 participants who did not reach the finish line. The search began only after 12 hours. Swimming across the bay was his long-held dream.
— Do you remember the day when Nikolai disappeared?
— When it happened, my loved ones didn«t answer me. Usually, both my son and daughter-in-law always answer me. I immediately got worried, thought: something»s not right. Then she admitted what happened to Kolya. There was such fear, horror.
Then there was denial—it couldn«t happen to him. He was very physically prepared. The man had been involved in sports all his life, in the pool since he was six. He trained many kids, was always traveling for training, for competitions.
— Now, knowing that he died, what do you feel?
— Pain, despair. It«s some kind of monstrous injustice. Why like this? I don»t understand. It«s very painful.
It«s good that he was found during those five months we were looking for him. It was a very difficult path. It»s good that we«re taking him home and good that we know where he is. The bad thing, of course, is that this happened to him. We»re very sorry. We can«t even understand how we»ll be without him.
— When a man«s body was found in the Bosphorus, did you immediately believe it was Nikolai?
— Alyona (a relative of the Sveshnikovs who lives in Turkey. — Ed.) called me on January 9 and said there was a hurricane in Istanbul and many bodies were washed up. I then thought that if Kolya wasn«t there, then he»s simply not there. I had a firm belief that if he wasn«t in the water, then we need to look somewhere else.
But when she called and said that based on the signs, it«s Kolya. And that he»s in a wetsuit, everything became clear.
— What are your plans after this news?
— I really want to understand what really happened. We«ll try to talk with forensic experts, see if it»s possible to find out what happened. Was it related to health, or was it some kind of accident. What was it? Why did it happen? I want to get to the truth.
What comes next
The news of Nikolai Sveshnikov«s death has already been communicated to his wife Antonina. During the conversation, the girl was alone at home. Judging by the voice from the receiver, she accepted the news steadfastly, according to an MSK1.RU correspondent.
In Istanbul, the swimmer«s wife could not come due to a small child—on December 10, Nikolai Sveshnikov»s son turned one year old. Moreover, she would not have been able to take the DNA test required for identification and DNA expertise.
Galina Sveshnikova told MSK1.RU that, despite confirming her son«s identity, she will go to the Istanbul morgue again tomorrow for identification.
«Everything will be fine. Thank God, so quickly, we»ll already be able to see him tomorrow. We searched for so long—I just want to see him, and it doesn«t matter how he looks,» Sveshnikov«s mother told MSK1.RU.
After completing all procedures, Nikolai Sveshnikov«s body will be handed over to the family. In the coming days, the mother and father will be organizing transportation. The Russian Consulate is aware of the situation, and Turkish lawyers will handle the paperwork.
«We continue to work on this case, only it will be reclassified,» the family«s lawyer Alperen Chakmak explained to MSK1.RU. »The missing person case will be closed, plus if violations by the organizer are identified, it will be a criminal case. Also, after this, the mother, father, wife, and child are left without a breadwinner, in a difficult situation. Therefore, we will pursue a case for compensation payment.«
All news about this story is collected in a special section. Earlier, the athlete«s mother Galina told in detail to MSK1.RU about her son and that ill-fated day.
