Alisher Usmanov faced criticism upon re-election as president of the International Fencing Federation. Amidst sanctions and controversy due to Russia's Ukraine invasion, Usmanov suspended his duties,

Olympic fencing champion Olha Kharlan has reacted to the election of Russian citizen Alisher Usmanov as president of the International Fencing Federation (FIE). Source: Kharlan on Instagram Quote: "FIE Congress Presidential Election decision .

Usmanov, 71, headed the federation until the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, when the European Union and the U.S. first sanctioned him as a person who fueled Russian aggression in Ukraine.