Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 11:52 / Updated Tuesday, February 10, 2026 12:00
Elizaveta Hlusovici (18 years old), the flag bearer of the Republic of Moldova at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games, is accused after she was discovered in Russophile groups on the Russian social network VKontakte.
The Republic of Moldova is represented by 5 athletes in Milan-Cortina, two cross-country skiers and 3 biathletes. Elizaveta Hlusovici, a skier aged only 18, also enters the first category. Originally Russian, born in the city of Smolensk, she chose to represent Moldova, as her mother, the former biathlete Natalia Levchenkova, had done.
3 days before entering the competition, Elizaveta found herself in the middle of a scandal. Russian publication Sport24 discovered the skier's account on VKontakte, the largest Russian social network.
There, she had joined several Russophile groups, such as “333 – Russian Army – SVO Reports“, SVO being short for Special Military Operation, the way the Russians describe the invasion of Ukraine, and “We are for Putin Patriots of Russia“.
On the right, part of the groups to which Elizaveta Hlusovici belonged
The flag bearer of Moldova at the Olympic Games, accused of being a supporter of Putin
The Russians' disclosure was picked up by the Ukrainians, with the publication Oboz.ua titling that “Moldova's flag bearer at the Olympics turned out to be a fan of Putin and the “special military operation”“.
After the media began to report the details of her Vkontakte account, the athlete changed the name of the profile to “Natalia L” and exited those groups. Later, on February 9, he deactivated the profile altogether.
Elizaveta Hlusovici // photo source: Facebook @ Olympic Moldova
Four of the 5 representatives of Moldova in Milan-Cortina are athletes of Russian origin, naturalized along the way: in addition to Elizaveta, there is also the situation of biathletes Pavel Magazeev, Alina Stremous and Maksim Makarov.
The President of the Wrestling Federation: “They paraded with the flag of our country, which they would wipe their feet on under other conditions”
This caused a harsh reaction from the president of the Fighting Federation of the Republic of Moldova, Ivan Gheorghiu, who thundered:
“How embarrassed do you have to be to accept, under the current conditions of war, that your country be represented at the Olympics by 4 athletes from Russia?
4 out of 5 athletes who represent the Republic of Moldova at the most important sports competition in the world are brought from Russia!!!
The boys paraded in Milan with the flag of our country, which they would wipe their feet on under other conditions. But not even now, in their capacity as Olympic tourists, and especially after they have remained a little poorer to receive this pleasure”.
