Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, 20:35 / Updated on Tuesday, 13 January 2026 20:37
Irina Rodnina (76 years old), one of the biggest legends in the history of figure skating, was attacked harshly in the public space in Russia. Andrej Cervicenko, former president of Spartak Moscow, launched extremely serious allegations, suggesting that the three-time Olympic champion could be involved in espionage for the United States.
Cervicenko, who managed the Spartak Moscow club from 2003-2004, said he had completely lost respect for Rodnina, despite her impressive sporting career.
Frontal attack from the former leader: “I don't have a very good opinion”
“At the moment, I don't have a very good opinion of Rodnina. As a sportswoman, I respected her enormously, but since she became an MP and started to express herself. I don't even want to see a movie about her. I won't see him, even if he paid me,” said Cervicenko.
The former official went even further, questioning Irina Rodnina's loyalty to Russia, given that she lived in the United States for 13 years and is currently a member of the State Duma, a position that entails access to insider information.
“Irina Rodnina constantly says inappropriate things. It surprises me that someone who has lived in the US for so many years works as an MP. Who knows what happened to him there.
Maybe she was recruited long ago and now sits in the State Duma“, said Cervicenko, according to sport.aktuality.sk.
He also emphasized the fact that Irina Rodnina's daughter still lives in the USA, a detail that, in his opinion, should worry the Russian authorities:
“Practically, every deputy has access to state secrets. And then we wonder how it is possible that the enemy knows more than we do. That's why I'm so afraid of Rodnina“, said the former manager of Spartak.
Who is Irina Rodnina?
Irina Rodnina is one of the most titled athletes in the history of figure skating:
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3 Olympic gold medals: 1972, 1976, 1980
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10 world championship titles
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11 European titles
After retiring from the activity, she worked as a coach, and from 2005 she became actively involved in politics, becoming a deputy in the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
