Skater who fled Russia granted Polish citizenship, opening way to compete for Poland at Olympics

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

A speed skater who fled from Russia to Poland has now been granted Polish citizenship, opening the way for him to compete for his new country at next year’s Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.

“As of today, I am a Polish citizen,” declared Vladimir Semirunniy, a former Russian national champion in the 5,000-metre category, on social media. He thanked Poland’s president, Karol Nawrocki, and the Polish Speed Skating Association (PZŁS) for helping him obtain citizenship.

The PZŁS also announced the news, saying that Nawrocki had personally signed Semirunniy’s citizenship documents after the athlete had been vetted by the security services. The skater, who recently won silver at the world championships, is now targeting an Olympic medal in Italy.

Semirunniy represented Russia at the Junior World Championships in January 2022, winning a bronze medal in the 5,000 metres. However, the following month, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its skaters were banned from international competitions.

In December 2022, Semirunniy told Eurosport that “of course I do not support this war, the war that Russia started”. In September 2023, he fled to Poland and declared his desire to represent the Polish national team.

The head of the PZŁS, Konrad Niedźwiedzki, told state broadcaster TVP that Semirunniy had signed documents declaring his opposition to the war in Ukraine and confirming that he had no links to the Russian military or Russian sponsors.

However, the skater first faced a compulsory suspension from all competitions for changing his international allegiance. Russia wanted him to have a 24-month ban, while Poland proposed 12 months. The International Skating Union settled on 14 months.

In January this year, the 22-year-old finally made his debut for Poland at the European Speed Skating Championships, where he finished tenth in both the 500 metres and 5,000 metres men’s allround races.

At the World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in March, he then won a silver medal for Poland in the 10,000 metres and bronze in the 5,000 metres.

However, in order to compete at the Olympics for his new country, Semirunniy required Polish citizenship, which he has now obtained.

There are various pathways to obtaining Polish citizenship, including through residence or descent. However, one option is to apply directly to the president, who has the power to grant citizenship.

“I’m full of joy, full of emotion, and it’s hard for me to express my gratitude,” said the skater, who thanked Poland for “welcoming me like a child”. He added that, “now all paths are open and I can do whatever I want, and I want to win an Olympic medal”.

The skater – who speaks fluent Polish and whose teammates have nicknamed him “Władek”, the Polish equivalent of “Vlad” – also told Eurosport that he has learned all the words to the Polish national anthem.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: PZŁS

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.