A News Agency

The athlete’s relative, Alena, told Izvestia: “Media representatives who published false and unverified information about Russian swimmer Mikhail Svechnikov, who went missing in the Bosphorus, will be held accountable in court.”

It had previously been reported that a signal from Svechnikov’s tracking device was detected in Türkiye. It was claimed that such a chip could indicate whether a swimmer was in the water. However, the missing swimmer’s wife denied this information.

Alena, the athlete’s relative, added: “This is fake news. A lawyer is now working to have this link removed, and then the court will resolve the issue. His wife Antonina is in a very bad state right now, distressed. In panic, waiting for any news, and then they tell her some signal was sent. It is very cruel to upset the family this way.”

Svechnikov disappeared on August 24. The professional swimmer could not reach the finish line in the Bosphorus. After swimming 500–600 meters, he vanished from sight.

World record holder in swimming and Honored Master of Sport, Nikolai Skvortsov, suggested that Mikhail Svechnikov may have been carried away by the current.