Yana Rudkovskaya Defends Son Amid Azerbaijan Move Criticism
Rudkovskaya says 13-year-old Alexander sleeps on an air mattress between training sessions and funds a street football team, rejecting claims he lives like a star.
Yana Rudkovskaya has hit back at criticism of her son Alexander over his move to Azerbaijan, saying the 13-year-old sleeps on an air mattress in a changing room between training sessions rather than living the life of a star.
Rudkovskaya said the boy left for training at 08:00 and did not return until 18:00, and that he and her husband, Evgeni Plushenko, slept on the mattress that was set up for them at the rink. She added that Alexander funds a street football team out of his own earnings, paying for a coach and kit, and that his friends include children from Tajik families she described as poor.
Plushenko said his son had taken the criticism in his stride, including reaction to a joint appearance with Dima Bilan on plastic ice, and quoted the boy as saying he pays no attention to it. Emin Agalarov, who conducted the interview, said the critics should judge Alexander at the next Olympics rather than for skating on what he called broken plastic pieces. Plushenko agreed, saying the target now is to get there and deliver.
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