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The mother of missing Russian swimmer Nikolai Andreevich Svechnikov is offering a 500,000 Turkish lira (approximately $12,000) reward to anyone who finds him after he went missing during the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race, organized by the Turkish National Olympic Committee (TMOK).
Search efforts began after it was discovered that Svechnikov, who competed in the race on August 24 with 2,820 athletes from 81 countries, had not reached the shore. Despite extensive operations, no results have been achieved.
Svechnikov’s mother, Ogalina Svechnikova, and his brother, Kirill Svechnikov, traveled to Istanbul and met with their lawyer, Alperen Cakmak, who is following the case. The family also filed a criminal complaint with the Beykoz Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, claiming the organizing committee failed to take necessary safety measures.
Speaking to Turkish news agency Anadolu, Ogalina Svechnikova showed a photo of her son, featuring tattoos of a dragon, bear, lion, and a young woman on his left arm, along with the cross necklace and smartwatch returned to her after his disappearance. She said she has printed missing posters using the photo.
“I demand that Nikolai be found. We have great hope. I believe he is alive,” she said, urging that search operations continue.
Svechnikova questioned why her son was made to remove his smartwatch and cross necklace before the race.
“I do not understand why they made him remove his necklace and smartwatch during this race. If he had the watch on him, at least it could be giving a signal right now. He would always carry his cross necklace with him,” she said.
She added that her son’s family is devastated.
“Nikolai’s child, Leon, is very young, and his wife, Antonina, is struggling very much without him. Nikolai was a father, a husband, someone devoted to his family who could provide for his home.”
Addressing rumors that Svechnikov might have reached shore and escaped, his mother firmly denied the claims.
“Nikolai is not such a person. He has an exemption certificate related to military service; it is not possible for him to flee military duty,” she said. “It is also not possible for him to escape abroad because he is always with his family. There is also another rumor that he had a second family here. That is also impossible because he came to Istanbul for the first time; he always worked and stayed with his family. If such a thing were true, his wife would suspect him, but there is no such thing.”
Svechnikova made a public appeal for information:
“We call out to everyone. Please, if there is any information or footage from this race or afterwards, if anyone knows anything, let them contact us. We will give a 500,000-lira reward to whoever finds him because he is our son, our father, our everything. We are ready to gather all our resources to offer this reward.”
The family’s lawyer, Alperen Cakmak, said he has been closely following the investigation and filed a criminal complaint against the organizing committee. He said no progress has been made despite ongoing efforts.
“We are told that search efforts are continuing, but it has been two months, and there is not even a clue in the file,” Cakmak said. “The prosecutor’s office refers the matter to the administration, and the administration refers it to the prosecutor’s office. We are trying to obtain as much information as possible from search-and-rescue teams, the coast guard, and the prosecutor’s office, and are doing our best to ensure the work is carried out more effectively.”
Cakmak said camera footage from the race area was reviewed but showed no trace of Svechnikov.
“What matters is the search at sea. Search efforts were conducted in the first few days, but unfortunately, they did not continue afterward,” he said.
He added that experts and eyewitnesses told them that drilling vessels equipped with advanced technology should be used for underwater search operations and that the first 48 hours are crucial in such cases.
“In our latest conversation with the Coast Guard, they said, ‘We continue our work along the coastline whenever we receive a report,’ but we are concerned about whether active search efforts are currently being carried out,” Cakmak said.
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Cakmak said the Russian Consulate has communicated with the prosecutor’s office about the incident and received information in return. He said he believes the investigation would advance more effectively if Russia and Türkiye worked together.
“We believe that more effective search efforts should be conducted by the administration and the prosecutor’s office,” Cakmak said. “Already, one to two months have passed. At this point, even finding Nikolai’s lifeless body would be some consolation for his family. We believe the organizers, all officials, and those responsible should also get involved in this matter to ensure that the search efforts are carried out effectively.”
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