Mar. 11 — The Center for Countering Disinformation, the Main Directorate of Ukrainian Intelligence, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine identified six more Russian athletes with disabilities, who combine their sports careers with service in the Russian armed forces, said the press service of the Center for Countering Disinformation.

“The Kremlin is using the Paralympic movement as a tool of hybrid influence to return to world sport and justify Russia’s terrorist actions,” reported the Center.

Russian soldiers who became disabled in combat missions while invading Ukrainian cities are among “propaganda projects aimed at glorifying aggression,” said the Center.

Artem Repkin is a lieutenant colonel of the Russian forces and deputy commander of the 96th separate reconnaissance brigade. He is a member of the Chuvashia Paralympic athletics team and a participant in the 2025 CISM World Championships in Ecuador.

Dmytro Borisov is a captain of the Russian forces, and commander of the 69th Guards Division motorized unit. He also participated in combat operations against Ukraine. Currently, Borisov is a member of the Russian Paralympic powerlifting team, and captain of the hockey team, which was formed from veterans of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Anton Lishyk is a senior warrant officer and Russia-Ukraine war veteran, and participant in the 2024 CISM World Archery Championships.

Andrii Rovenskyi is a powerlifter and former paratrooper who served as the senior rifleman in combat operations in occupied Luhansk oblast. Russian officials awarded him with a medal “for bravery,” and he publicly promoted military symbols in the Russian media.

The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine said it will boycott the opening ceremony of the 2026 Paralympics, to be held in Italy, due to the permission granted to Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags.

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