"I'm like a soldier. Nothing depends on me": Russian biathlete speaks about his suspension, saying Putin "will not leave us"

Russian biathlete Nikita Porshnev expressed hope that he will be able to compete at the 2026 Olympic Games. He added that he would not be very upset if this did not happen, repeating the Kremlin's narrative of "we do not abandon our own" and comparing himself to a soldier in the Russian army.

Porshnev said this in an interview with the propaganda channel Match TV. The bronze medalist of the 2019 World Cup actually admitted that he does not decide anything in his life, but will wait for the decision of the national federation and the sports ministry of the aggressor country.

"The Olympics is probably a loud goal, but these are my thoughts, which I don't want to be ashamed of. But I'm not making hasty conclusions: I'm training, I'm working. It's my job to train, it's not up to me to decide whether we will be admitted or not. I am sure that our state will not leave us without anything. If we are unable to participate, there will be alternative games that will be held on a par with the Olympic Games. I have no right to judge anything because nothing depends on me. I am like a soldier: if they tell us to go, we will go, if not, that is our fate," Porshnev said.

Earlier, the former head of the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU), Alexander Tikhonov, spoke insultingly of the Norwegians, calling them "the most pro-fascist nation."

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