Team Russia finished third at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy, and athletes were awarded state honors for their performance
Five Russian Paralympians have been added to the ‘kill list’ run by Ukraine’s state-backed Mirotvorets website, which publishes the personal details of individuals it labels as ‘enemies’ of the state.
The athletes, placed on the list on Thursday, include alpine skier Aleksey Bugaev, and cross-country skiers Varvara Voronchikhina, Ivan Golubkov, Anastasia Bagiyan, and Sergey Sinyakin. They represented Team Russia at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy and won eight golds, one silver, and three bronzes, placing the team third in the medal standings.
Varvara Voronchikhina pictured at the XIV Winter Paralympic Games in Italy.
Mirotvorets has accused the athletes of “war propaganda” and “attacks on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” and being “complicit” in Russia’s alleged “crimes” against the country.
The website, which claims that it operates independently but is linked to Ukraine’s security services, has been branded a ‘kill list’ after multiple people featured on it were later murdered or died under suspicious circumstances. Each entry notably includes a “date of elimination” field beneath the subject’s birthdate.
Bugaev dismissed his inclusion in the database. “Honestly, I don’t care who added us or where. When you can’t beat us fairly in the sports arena, the only thing left to do is do things like this,” he told RT on Friday. Ukraine’s 25-athlete team finished seventh in the medal standings.
On Thursday, the five Paralympians, along with their coaches, received state awards from Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in recognition of their results and performance under sanctions and restrictions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin poses with Paralympic medalists and coaches at a state awards ceremony in the Kremlin, March 19, 2026.
Moscow won an appeal against the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, which had continued to bar Russian athletes despite their full reinstatement by the International Paralympic Committee last year. The ruling allowed the team to compete under its own flag and anthem – played at a medal ceremony for the first time since 2014.
Mirotvorets has recently added numerous Russian and foreign figures accused of ties to the Russian government or of spreading pro-Russian views.
Russian officials have denounced Mirotvorets as extremist. Western media and institutions have also criticized the website, while human rights and press freedom groups have condemned it for publishing the personal data of journalists and civilians, warning that it poses threats to safety and due process.
