Russian skaters cannot fly to Budapest for more than 15 hours

Russian dance duo Vasilis Grigoriev and Evgeny Artyushchenko have been at Vnukovo Airport for more than 15 hours, waiting for a flight to the Challenger series tournament Budapest Trophy. This was reported by the coach Svetlana Alekseeva.

“They have been at the airport since one o’clock in the morning and there is still no departure. If they get there, it will only be on the day of the tournament, because the flight they have to fly from Istanbul to Budapest is only open once a day. Therefore, they will still have to stay in a hotel, spend the night there. So we don't know anything yet. The main thing is to include them in the draw, God grant. Not before that, you know? We still need to fly out, Alekseeva said.

Alekseeva described the skaters’ condition as follows: “You will imagine yourself in their place and understand what their condition is if you hadn’t slept all night.” Until now, there is no place for the apple to fall – neither sit nor lie down.”.

Dance duo Grigoriev / Artyushchenko are the winners of the championship of Russia among juniors in 2025, as well as the championship of Moscow and the tournament “Kumparsit” in 2026. They also have first places in the stages of the Junior Grand Prix of Russia in 2024 ("Magnitka Stars", Gorshkov Memorial) and a number of other all-Russian victories.

The Budapest Trophy, part of the ISU Challenger Series, will be held in Budapest, Hungary, from 15 to 18 October 2026.