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The legendary former athlete Serhiy Bubka has appeared less and less in Ukraine’s public sphere in recent years. However 6 October 2026 he, the outstanding jumper whom people at home call a traitor, joined the Executive Committee of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.
Thanks to his outstanding sporting achievements, Serhiy Bubka enjoyed enormous authority in society. After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Olympic champion “went into hiding,” and later left Ukraine altogether. 24 The channel prepared a report on what the celebrated athlete, whom the Chesno Movement added to its list of traitors, is doing now.
How Bubka left Ukraine
Serhiy Bubka met the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in the Ukrainian capital. He witnessed the bombing and the enemy army’s advance. At that time Bubka headed the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. According to him, he immediately contacted IOC President Thomas Bach, who personally asked him to come to Lausanne.
28 February 2022 Bubka left Ukraine “as a refugee.” He traveled by train Kyiv–Lviv, then went by car to Uzhhorod, where he crossed the border. Bubka recalled that he was ready to “drop the suitcases and take only a backpack with documents.”
Serhiy Bubka headed the NOC from 2005 to 2022 / Photo NOC of Ukraine
It is very telling that during this time Serhiy Bubka, who has enormous authority in the world, never publicly condemned Russia for its aggression. Clearly his words would not have stopped the Kremlin dictator, but they would have had a major impact on the international community.
Under Bubka’s leadership the NOC of Ukraine hesitated to support harsh sanctions against Russian athletes. The official was afraid to publicly call Russia the aggressor and to say the word “war.” Because of the lack of a clear position, the Olympic champion received much negative feedback from his colleagues.
22 July 2022 Bubka left Ukraine for the second time by a special letter and did not return.
Where Bubka is now
Serhiy Bubka now lives near Monaco in the town of Èze. Investigative journalists found the former NOC president’s house. On the French Riviera he lives with his family. Journalists from Ukrainska Pravda, in particular, saw Serhiy’s younger son there.
Bubka Sr. repeatedly appeared in the VIP area at AS Monaco matches, a club owned by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev.
Bubka’s house in Monaco / Photo Ukrainska Pravda
What Serhiy Bubka is doing
In 2024 Serhiy Bubka was re-elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee. He was present at the Games in 2024 in Paris, where he took part in athletes’ award ceremonies. In particular, ex-Russian athlete Darya Varfolomeyeva, who unlawfully visited Crimea in 2021, received a medal from Serhiy Nazarovych.
Bubka awards ex-Russian athlete Varfolomeyeva / Photo Getty Images
In 2025 Bubka personally attended the World Masters Games held in Taiwan from 17 to 30 May. These competitions are organized by the International Masters Games Association, which Bubka has chaired since 2022.
Russian athletes competed in the tournament wearing national symbols that the IOC prohibits. Despite this scandal, Bubka expressed satisfaction with the organization of the tournament.
Background. The World Masters Games is a multi-sport festival for veteran athletes held every four years under the auspices of the International Masters Games Association (IMGA). These competitions include various sports and age categories, giving veterans the opportunity to compete internationally.
In addition, since 2003 Bubka has served as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. He takes part in various programs related to sport.
Why Bubka was included in Ukraine’s Register of Traitors
In 2023 journalists at Bihus.Info investigated Bubka’s business activities. They identified firms and companies that receive contracts from Russians in occupied territories and sell them fuel. In particular, the Olympic champion’s business continues to operate in Donetsk, which has been under occupiers’ control since 2014. Because of this the Chesno Movement included the celebrated athlete in the Register of Traitors.
Information about Bubka from Russian registries / photo Chesno Movement
At that time the Security Service of Ukraine opened a pretrial investigation into the activities of Serhiy Bubka’s firms. However, since then no decision has been made. Bubka himself denied any ties to the aggressor state in his public statement.
“I was born on Ukrainian soil, I have always represented Ukraine around the world with great pride. I have always fought for Ukraine, but now there is a campaign to destroy my reputation,”
— Bubka said in his defense.
According to the investigation by Television Toronto, in 2023 Serhiy Bubka received more than a million rubles of income from business in occupied Donetsk. In particular, he received 1 104 186 rubles in dividends from the company “Montblanc,” which operates in territory controlled by the occupiers. Taxes on that sum were supposed to be paid to the Russian budget.
According to published data, Bubka remains a co-owner of at least three enterprises in Donetsk: “Montblanc,” “Avgust,” and “Serhiy Bubka Sports Club.”
Previously we reported how Ukrainian sport reacted to Russia’s horrific attack on Kyiv on 28 August. The terrorist state took the lives of 25 people, including killing four children.
Were Bubka’s state stipends revoked
Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree to stop payments to eight Ukrainian athletes, according to the President of Ukraine’s website. The list included former NOC president Serhiy Bubka.
List of athletes deprived of state stipends / Screenshot
Also on the list were Yevhen Braslavets, Illia Kvasha, Yuriy Yermakov, and Yana Klochkova. In addition, the list includes Valerii Lozyk, Ihor Matviyenko, and Inna Frolova.
How Bubka reacted to Heraskevych’s disqualification at the 2026 Olympics
At the Winter Olympic Games in 2026 the International Olympic Committee, without any grounds, barred Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych from competing after he wanted to wear a “memorial helmet” honoring Ukrainian athletes killed by Russians.
Despite his status as an IOC member, Bubka not only failed to use his position to defend Ukraine’s interests and protect the athlete, but also did not issue any comment in support of Heraskevych and his action. Later the skeleton racer called him and the other IOC member from Ukraine, Valerii Borzov, “figures who care only about their positions.”
Will Bubka be stripped of the title Hero of Ukraine
Against the backdrop of Bubka’s inaction, there has been growing talk in society and sporting circles that Serhiy Bubka does not deserve the title Hero of Ukraine, despite his former achievements in athletics.
According to current legislation, Bubka can only be stripped of the Hero title if there is a guilty court verdict against him or if sanctions are imposed.
According to People’s Deputy and former track-and-field athlete Olha Saladuha, the Verkhovna Rada cannot yet take the initiative on this matter because the relevant law does not yet exist.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Зрадив Україну та втік за кордон: де зараз Сергій Бубка, який увійшов до виконкому НОК". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
