According to USA Today, they are Sergei and Violetta Bida, as well as Konstantin Lokhanov. Sergei Bida, as a Dynamo athlete, was formally a member of the Russian Federal Guard, while Violetta, from CSKA, was a member of the Ministry of Defense. Both left Russia in the summer of 2023, after which they were charged with abandonment of military unit.
Konstantin Lokhanov is the former son-in-law of the head of the Russian Olympic Committee. He left the country the day before the invasion of Ukraine and condemned the actions of the Russian authorities.
Lohanov and Sergei Bida intend to compete for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Violetta will not be able to participate due to pregnancy. The athletes were supported by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees and the Fencing Association. The appeals say that all three “made sacrifices at great personal cost and put their lives at risk”.
