Jelena Isinbayeva faces backlash and debts after moving to Spain

Jelena Isinbayeva is a monumental figure in Russian sports. However, her nation has now disowned her. After silence on the subject, one portal reported that the legendary athlete is indebted to her country.

There is no need to speak about Jelena Isinbayeva's greatness, as her achievements speak for themselves. She is a global sports icon and an Olympic, World, and European champion. She made her mark in history with her outstanding performances in the pole vault.

Isinbayeva has never hidden her excellent relations with Vladimir Putin, and she was even called his favourite. Hence, it is no surprise that her presence on the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission was widely commented on—negatively, of course—after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

The former athlete ultimately lost her job at the IOC, but she returned to international activities. It was determined that Isinbayeva was not subject to any sanctions. Isinbayeva shocked her compatriots, who began to criticise her publicly. After all, the 41-year-old distanced herself from Russia and moved to Spain, residing in Tenerife.

There was no new information about Isinbayeva in Russia for a long time, but this has finally changed. On Friday at 17:00 GMT, the portal news.ru published an article about her current situation.

It reports that the legendary athlete is indebted to her country. The source states that the 41-year-old owes the tax office almost half a million rubles. This translates to around £4,000.

The article noted that Isinbayeva must repay these arrears to avoid having her Russian accounts frozen. Moreover, the Federal Tax Service has already fined her for late payments.

Anton Patrakeev commented on the whole matter. The Russian lawyer noted that criminal liability may be incurred if tax evasion is deliberate and a court issues an appropriate judgment.