A Turkish swimmer has suggested the fate of the Russian Svechnikov, who disappeared in the Bosphorus.

Russian swimmer Nikolai Svechnikov, who got lost while swimming in the Bosphorus Strait, could not drown. This was announced to Izvestia on August 27 by Turkish swimmer Hayati Shamiloglu, a participant in the same swim.

He stressed that he did not believe in the possible death of Svechnikov, because he was a good swimmer. Shamiloglu expressed confidence that the Russian had come ashore and could not stay in the water.

"For example, he could have been hit by a boat, but that's impossible because there were only police and rescue boats in that area. And none of them could touch him, because the boats were on my right side, and he was on the left. Another possibility is that there is a yellow buoy, a large metal buoy for mooring ships. He could have crashed into this buoy and lost consciousness," he said.

The swimmer shared that he could go under the water if he lost consciousness. At the same time, he stressed that Svechnikov was of a strong and muscular build, so the probability of his drowning is low. Shamiloglu clarified that he had suggested that the police check the CCTV footage of the villas in the area between the Kandili marina and the palace, as the Russian was sailing in that direction.

He also shared that he recognized Svechnikov when he saw his photo on the Internet in articles testifying to his disappearance in the Bosphorus.

"I read on the Internet that some Russian record holder said he was swept away by the current. No, this swimmer had no chance of being swept away by the current. He was so strong. I'm 10 times worse at swimming than he is, and even I don't give in to the current. That's why I'm sure he got ashore," the swimmer added.

In addition, Shamiloglu clarified that a total of 2.8 thousand people participated in the swim, including both Turkish and foreign swimmers. According to him, the athletes were transported on different ships. At the same time, he noted that there were many rescue boats, but not enough.

The Turkish swimmer expressed the opinion that the rescuers should have noticed Svechnikov's distance from the others. He clarified that only rescue boats and those that transported athletes were insured. At the same time, the swimmers themselves were not insured, which is a big mistake.

"If they didn't notice it, it's a security gap, a mistake. Another reason I want you to pass this on to his wife. Firstly, a lawsuit should be filed in Turkey about this. <...> In any claim for compensation, you need to point out this negligence and sue the Olympic Committee," Shamiloglu stressed.

Bosphorus affair: Russian swimmer Nikolai Svechnikov disappeared in Turkey

Three thousand people participated in the competition, Nikolai is the only one who did not finish.

Earlier in the day, Shamiloglu shared that he saw Svechnikov during the swim and noticed that he was swimming in the other direction from the finish line. According to him, the Russian saw him and made a gesture to him, as if hinting that he knew what he was doing. After that, Svechnikov continued to follow his route, which was different from the path to the finish line.

Svechnikov went missing on August 24. A professional swimmer did not reach the finish line across the Bosphorus in Istanbul. After swimming 500-600 m, the athlete disappeared from sight. Honored Master of Sports, world record holder in swimming Nikolai Skvortsov suggested that the man could have been swept away by the current. Svechnikov's wife expressed her intention to request a video of the full swim.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.