The evolving story of Sergei and Violetta Bida, Russian spouses placed on an international search by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, continues with fresh details about their move toward the United States. Sergei Bida, father to former world championship fencer Elena Grishina, who earned two silver medals in team foil at world events, says his son traveled to the United States for surgery and did not intend to change citizenship or join an American fencing team. The plan, according to him, was to return home after the medical procedure abroad.
Their appearance at the US Championship, conducted without Russian consent, brought a criminal case into the public eye against the athletes. Simultaneously, Russia’s national epee coach Alexander Glazunov was dismissed after the federation noted that athletes from his squad had fled to the United States. The Russian Fencing Federation mentioned that the coach’s contract was nearing its end in December.
The Internal Affairs Ministry database does not list the exact grounds for searching the Bida couple, but press reports quickly alleged unauthorized renunciation of service in the Russian Guard for Sergei and in the Armed Forces for Violetta. A Telegram channel claimed the athletes face up to a decade in prison.
Sergei Bida belonged to the Dynamo sports community and held the rank of lieutenant in the Russian Guard, while Violetta was affiliated with CSKA and an employee of the defense ministry. After leaving for the United States, Violetta exited CSKA in October, though her current military status remains officially unclear.
The athletes’ mother rejected the portrayal of an escape, stressing that Sergei Bida had official permission to depart, verified by both the Federation of Russian Fencing and the Ministry of Defense. She noted that Bida had authorization to travel abroad from the Ministry of Sports, with lists prepared by Ilgar Mamedov, the head coach of the Russian national team. Other fencers were directed toward the Russian Guard, and the Defense Ministry issued a corresponding list. The statements were reported by RT Grishina [citation].
It was clarified that Bida competed at the US Championship as a representative of his club, the Fencing Masters Academy in San Jose, and is currently employed as a coach there.
Boris Grishin, grandfather to Sergei Bida and a former USSR Honored Master of Sports in water polo, noted that the main motivation for Sergei’s move to the United States was a job opportunity rather than a medical or political objective. He mentioned that close associates opened a fencing academy in California, inviting Sergei to contribute to their youth program after his competitive days, and he believed Sergei did not intend to fence for the United States team.
Grishin emphasized that Sergei does not plan to join the US team as a competitor. Yet some reports suggested that Sergei and Violetta Bida moved to the United States in the summer, settled there permanently, and planned to continue their coaching careers with an eye toward national team involvement in the United States.
At present, Violetta is on maternity leave, while Sergei participated in the most recent US Fencing Championships, securing first place in the épée event. Inside the Games noted that the US Fencing Federation does not oppose athletes competing and representing foreign national teams if they sign a letter denouncing the Ukraine conflict [citation].
Further details about the search for athletes who left service without permission revealed additional context. Violetta Bida was reported to have been dismissed from CSKA in October, according to a comment from CSKA’s deputy head for military political studies, casting doubt on whether she remains an active service member and could be liable for abandoning duty [citation].
It was also learned that Sergei and Violetta Bida were removed from Russia’s fencing team in June of the same year, a change reflected in the updated national team list published by the Ministry of Sports. The alterations were approved by Deputy Minister of Sports Alexei Morozov and signed by Ilgar Mamedov, president of the Russian Fencing Federation [citation].
Thus, it remains unclear whether the athletes will face penalties for leaving. Sergei Bida has publicly stated he does not plan to return to Russia, expressing a desire to avoid political involvement and aiming to compete for the United States at the Paris Summer Olympics, though citizenship is not yet secured [citation].