Figure skating pair Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin to represent Armenia

Figure skating duo Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin have officially changed their sports citizenship and will now represent Armenia in international competitions. On May 14, 2025, the Executive Committee of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (RFSF) approved their transfer, TASS reports, citing a source familiar with the situation.

21-year-old Akopova and 26-year-old Rakhmanin have been skating together since 2020. They train in Sochi under Olympic medalist Fedor Klimov and have earned medals at both Russian and international competitions. Over the past two seasons, they haven’t competed at major Russian events.

According to Akopova, the idea of skating for Armenia has always been close to her heart:
"I'm Armenian, my entire family is Armenian, and I’ve always had this thought deep inside me… When I was young and just started pair skating, my coach Stanislav Morozov used to say: ‘You should skate for Armenia.’ That idea has always been with me. They even called me ‘Granny Siranush’.”

A recent injury played a key role in their decision to switch federations.
“It kind of pushed us to make a change. Even when we just teamed up, we wanted to skate for Armenia, but back then COVID hit, and everything was uncertain. Now we finally dared to take this step. Practically no one supported us — we did everything ourselves,” said Akopova.

Rakhmanin added:
“After the injury, it became difficult to catch up with the skaters who had progressed ahead of us.”

The pair are currently waiting for full release from the Russian federation.
“We hope it’ll happen in December, and that we’ll be able to start competing in international events — like B-level competitions or challengers — to achieve the technical minimum,” they say.

Their ultimate goal is to qualify for the Olympic Games.