DNA test results are in: male body belongs to Russian swimmer

It has been determined that the male body found in the sea in Beşiktaş belongs to Nikolai Andreevich Svechnikov, who went missing during the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race held on August 24, 2025.

Examinations regarding the identification of the body, which was taken to the Council of Forensic Medicine after being found on the Kuruçeşme coast, have been completed.

A comparison was made with DNA samples taken from Svechnikov's mother and father, who arrived in Istanbul from Russia and were brought to the Council of Forensic Medicine accompanied by teams from the Public Security Bureau.

As a result of the tests, it was determined that the body belongs to Nikolai Andreevich Svechnikov.

It was learned that Svechnikov's body will be handed over to his family following the procedures at the Council of Forensic Medicine.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Citizens on boats and on the shore at Kuruçeşme noticed a body at the water's edge, and upon notification, teams from the Provincial Police Department's Marine Port Branch and the Coast Guard Command were dispatched to the area.

The body, which was brought to the shore by the teams and had no identification on it, was taken to the Council of Forensic Medicine morgue for examination after the work at the scene was completed.

The family, who came to Istanbul from Russia to determine whether the body—which was found to be missing its head and arms—belonged to the Russian swimmer Svechnikov, who participated in the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race held on August 24, 2025, with the participation of 2,820 athletes from 81 countries, had provided DNA samples at the Council of Forensic Medicine.