Maksim Barhatov has died in the fighting in Ukraine.
A forlorn sight in Bah’mut after fierce battles. PDO
Powerlifting champion Maksim Barhatov, 41, has been killed in fighting in Ukraine, reports a Russian website Sport Express.
According to media reports, he died in April in the city of Bah’mut, which Russia captured after bloody fighting in May.
The Russian media has previously reported that Barhatov was recruited into the ranks of the mercenary army Wagner at the beginning of the year. Last year, Barhatov was sentenced to six years in prison for taking bribes and money laundering and served his sentence in the Irkutsk penal colony in Siberia until his release. Leading Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin has said that the group has recruited about 50,000 prisoners into its ranks since the start of the war of aggression against Russia.
According to the Openpowerlifting website, Barhatov competed in powerlifting from 2000 to 2013. The success was huge, as there were a total of five world championships in two different weight classes. Barhatov was also crowned European champion twice.