The Olympic champion who turned his back on the Russian regime

Three years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Aleksander Lesun was born. He has a country listed in his passport.

He spent a lot of his formative years looking back at the days of Soviet sporting achievement.

He was jealous when he heard stories of how athletes used to be, as he wanted to be an Olympic champion too.

Newly formed post-Soviet countries were not able to afford the same level of investment in sport as the USSR. Lesun was trying to make it as a young sportsperson. He jumped at the chance to represent Russia because it meant better funding.

I was proud to compete under the Russian flag.

Russia was something that was very dear to my heart. I'm not talking about politics or the army, I'm talking about people. I always felt connected to it.

Lesun won four gold medals in the World Championship in modern pentathlon. He won the Olympic gold medal in Rio.

He decided not to compete for Russia again.

He quit his sports positions on February 22nd and the events in Ukraine began two days later.

What did I think? Is it permissible for me to use swear words in this interview? I didn't say anything to say that I was shocked. I knew that the world would never be the same again.

Lesun had no plan. He describes his decision as hasty. Nobody offered to fly him out of Russia. He started another job that wasn't related to sport.

He is one of the few Russians who speak out against the war. He removed himself from representing his country as a way of expressing opposition.

Speaking out can have serious consequences. Thousands of people have been arrested at anti-war protests. A new criminal law prohibits describing the Russian military operation in Ukraine as an invasion or war. Lesun avoids using those words.

The situation inside Russia is getting very bad.

If you took part in a public protest, you could have been arrested for 15 days. It can be up to three years now. For 15 years for some other kinds of protest.

This affects the number of public figures speaking out and what they say. Some, including tennis player Maria Sharapova, have limited themselves to an expression of hope for a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Ukraine.

Rublev wrote "No war please" on a TV camera lens after a match in February. The world number two spoke about promoting peace. The new law can lead to up to 15 years in jail for spreading fake news about the military. Most Russian sports people have not spoken since.

While many international sports bodies have banned Russians from competing, Medvedev and Rublev have been able to play as individuals under a neutral flag. There has been a recent discussion over whether Russians should be allowed to compete in the UK as neutrals, with sports minister Nigel Huddlestone saying that players such as Medvedev should provide a written declaration that they are genuine neutral.

Even if there is a lot of Russian sports people who are against the war in Ukraine, they are afraid of repercussions. Doing so could make them a criminal in their native country. Some might be afraid of reprisals.

There are people who subscribe to the Kremlin's version of events.

Athletes are taught to follow orders without question in closed sports training centers. The majority of successful coaches use authoritarian methods.

A deep dependency on others was developed from childhood. They are not exposed to independent news in Russia. Many people don't understand English.

Such athletes often echo the Kremlin's response to the sporting sanctions imposed around the world: that sports and politics should be separate.

Alexander Bolshunov, who won three gold medals at the Winter Olympics, said that sport should be about peace.

He and several other Olympic gold medal winners took part in a rally in Moscow to celebrate the annexation of Crimea, which took place in the same year as the World Cup final.

For the world without Nazism was the official name of the rally. For Russia! The letter Z is a pro-war symbol of the invasion of Ukraine.

The power of Russian propaganda and the power Russia has over some athletes was shown in the rally. Success at the Olympics could mean bonuses such as luxury cars, money, apartments and awards. This year's attendance at the rally was part of the bargain. The majority of those present receive their main income from the state, which fully sponsors their training and travelling expenses.

The snowboarder who won the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Russia was not at the rally. The 35-year-old was due to meet Putin a few weeks ago.

The Russian president awarded Wild the Order for Merit to the Fatherland after his success in the Olympics. Wild won a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics.

We needed to self-isolated for two weeks before a big meeting with Putin, as I was supposed to be inQuarantine as we were gonna have a big meeting.

On February 23, we were told that the quark was over and we could go home. I got a feeling that something bad was going to happen the next day. It was on the next morning.

Wild was asked to meet the Russian sports minister and ice hockey legend Viacheslav Fetisov.

The barriers preventing Soviet hockey players from joining the NHL were broken by Fetisov. He was one of the people the United States imposed sanctions on over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Fetisov told me that things are different now," Wild said. He told me that I was not the only one. You are now a role model. You cannot be a kid anymore, you are an adult.

It is difficult to know if the meeting reminded Wild that he was a role model or if it was necessary.

Wild describes himself as a wolf looking around, trying to understand more, rather than one of the sheep getting led. He says that the Russian government is "fearful" towards any opposition and that the state media is "ridiculous".

Lesun will be 34 in July. He has retired because he cut ties. He believes there is little hope of others following his lead.

Sports people in Russia are like tools. A propaganda tool.

Nobody thinks about the effect their actions have on others. People don't think that their actions will lead to the death of people.

Everyone should decide for themselves what to do. They will need to live with it.

Russian sports people can't influence the situation. A lot of them don't understand what's happening.