Teenage ski jumper vanishes after anti-war protest in Russia
It is unknown where the 17-year-old who protested against the war with Ukraine has disappeared. Teenager Denis Bushuiev publicly showed his opposition. Exactly a year ago, the young ski jumper stood in the centre of Nizhny Novgorod with a sign that read: “No to war. No to madness.”
Russian athletes are preparing to return to international arenas. In the Ski Jumping World Cup, Russian ski jumpers, among others, want to compete again. The athletes were excluded from participating in competitions after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Many athletes from Russia openly supported the invasion of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Among them were Irina Avvakumova and Evgeniy Klimov. Denis Bushuiev, on the other hand, openly opposed Vladimir Putin. A year ago, the jumper decided on a huge act of courage.
As "Przegląd Sportowy" reminds us, exactly a year ago, on the second anniversary of the war's outbreak, the 17-year-old printed a card with the words "No to war. No to madness." The teenage jumper stood with it in the centre of Nizhny Novgorod.
The jumper said that bystanders approached him with sympathy. 15 minutes after the protest started, Russian police officers appeared. The 17-year-old was taken to the police station.
After everything, Bushuiev faced repercussions at school (he was summoned for a so-called preventive talk). He was entered into the internal register of Russian services. A few months later, the young jumper appeared at an anti-war demonstration.
To be honest, I no longer want to become a great athlete. First of all, I am tired of sports, and secondly, even if I ever managed to go to international competitions, I would not want to represent today's Russia. For now, I’m in the team, it’s my job, so I have to ensure good results - Bushuiev said, as quoted by "Przegląd Sportowy".
"Przegląd Sportowy" reports that the last information about the 17-year-old jumper comes from the time of this demonstration. It is unknown what is happening with Denis Bushuiev. He has disappeared without a trace.
