Elena Isinbaeva deleted a joint photo with Putin from Instagram – Kommersant

Two-time Olympic champion in pole vaulting Elena Isinbayeva removed from her Instagram (owned by Meta, which is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation) a joint photo with President Vladimir Putin. The photo was posted in November 2017 and was accompanied by the caption: “I’m on the Putin Team.” One of the first to do this turned Attention publication “Rise”.

The photo with hockey player Alexander Ovechkin was also deleted. In 2017, it was he who announced the creation of the Putin Team public movement as part of Vladimir Putin’s election campaign. In recent months, a photo from a trip to Crimea in 2019, as well as a post congratulating the head of the Ministry of Defense Sergei Shoigu on his birthday, disappeared from the athlete’s social network, Kommersant was convinced.

On September 5, 2023, it became known that Elena Isinbayeva retained her position in the athletes’ commission of the International Olympic Committee. In June, her activities within the IOC were suspended due to the ethics commission’s investigation of the athlete for her involvement in the RF Armed Forces. In 2015, Sergei Shoigu awarded Isinbayeva the rank of major after concluding a five-year contract to serve in the Russian army.

On July 17, Elena Isinbaeva announced plans to return to work at the IOC. In her post, the athlete stated that she is a “person of peace” and the titles awarded to her “are nominal.” The athlete’s post caused a negative reaction among representatives of the Russian government. At the moment, Elena Isinbayeva has been expelled from the central headquarters of the All-Russian Popular Front, and the stadium in Makhachkala, named after the athlete, has lost a sign with her name at the entrance.

Polina Motyzlevskaya