The interview has been done in collaboration with the Nordic public service companies EPN and NRK.
In August 2022, track cyclist Mikhail Yakovlev, or “Misha” as he is known, chose to leave Russia in protest against the war in Ukraine.
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– I was 22 years old and packed my belongings into bags. All my life I had lived in Moscow. Now I left Russia for good. Everything was like in a fog, he says.
The move was to Tel Aviv, Israel, where Mikhail Yakovlev, with the help of his Israeli roots, was able to quickly obtain citizenship and start competing for his new country. The change of nation was also approved by the International Olympic Committee, IOC.
– My grandmother is Jewish, so I have Jewish roots. She lives in Karmiel in northern Israel and my parents have also moved there. We visit each other often and my father comes here once a week to watch me train, he says.
Mikhail Yakovlev during a training session in Tel Aviv, where he is preparing for the Olympics in Paris. Photo: Ksenia Novikova/NRK
But what Mikhail Yakovlev didn’t know when he switched countries, was what would happen next.
Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel on October 7 last year was the starting point for an escalation of the war in Gaza, where Israel’s attacks on civilian victims have led – and still lead – to strong reactions and protests worldwide.
Yakovlev has an Israeli flag as a background image on his Instagram and describes the Hamas attack on October 7 as “terrible”.
– Of course, it does not feel good when people shout that Israel should not be involved. They don’t understand what Hamas has done.
How much do you think about the situation?
– Everyone wants peace. No one wants this tense situation to continue. I don’t like war, and there are many with me who don’t either. But, I want to focus on my own preparations for the Olympics, where I will compete for the Israeli flag, says Mikhail Yakovlev, who otherwise does not want to focus on politics.
He is selected for the Olympics in Paris in the sprint and keirin and, like other Israeli athletes, will go to the Games with a threatening image about him.
– Wherever we travel, we have bodyguards with us. Last year during the World Cup in Egypt we had ten police cars escorting us between the hotel and the velodrome. I even had a bodyguard with me when I went to the toilet in the arena, he says.
“In Russia they call me a traitor and an alcoholic” – see a longer report with Mikhail Yakovlev in the player above.