2021 Russian Figure Skating Championships
The 2021 Russian Figure Skating Championships were held from 23 to 27 December 2020 in Chelyabinsk. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The results were among the criteria used to select the Russian team for the 2021 World Championships.
Qualifying
During the 2020–21 season, Russian skaters competed in domestic qualifying events for national championships at various age levels. The Russian Cup series will lead to three events – the Russian Championships, the Russian Junior Championships, and the Russian Cup Final.Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were limited international competitive opportunities and all skaters were required to qualify through the Russian Cup series. The Figure Skating Federation of Russia initially did not award exemptions for injury, illness, or skaters who trained abroad. On 16 November, FFKKR president Alexander Gorshkov announced a review of the qualification process after several national team members were unable to meet the two event qualification requirement.
| Date | Event | Type | Location | Results |
| 18–22 September 2020 | Russian Cup – Stage I | Qualifier | Syzran, Samara Oblast | |
| 10–13 October 2020 | Russian Cup – Stage II | Qualifier | Moscow | |
| 23–27 October 2020 | Russian Cup – Stage III | Qualifier | Sochi, Krasnodar Krai | |
| 8–12 November 2020 | Russian Cup – Stage IV | Qualifier | Kazan, Tatarstan | |
| 5–8 December 2020 | Russian Cup – Stage V | Qualifier | Moscow | |
| 23–27 December 2020 | Russian Championships | Final | Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast | |
| 1–5 February 2021 | Russian Junior Championships | Final | Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai | |
| 26 February – 2 March 2021 | Russian Cup Final | Final | Moscow | |
| 10–14 March 2021 | Russian Youth Championships – Younger Age | Final | Saransk, Mordovia | |
| 1–5 April 2021 | Russian Youth Championships – Elder Age | Final | Sochi, Krasnodar Krai |
Controversy
In December 2020, the Russian Federation drew criticism for its decision to host several competitions with an audience present, despite the worsening COVID-19 pandemic in Russia and the increasing number of its national team members who tested positive for COVID-19. Several skaters, including reigning European and national champions Dmitri Aliev and Victoria Sinitsina / Nikita Katsalapov, as well as reigning European champion Alena Kostornaia, withdrew from the Russian Cup series and/or Championships due to contracting the virus.Senior Championships
The 2021 Russian Championships were held in Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast from 23 to 27 December 2020.There were two separate bases for qualification:
- Qualification based on inclusion in official pre-season national team roster.
- Qualification based on Russian Cup series' results.
Schedule
Listed in local time.| Day | Date | Start | Finish | Discipline | Event |
| Day 1 | 24 December | 14:00 | 16:30 | Men | Short program |
| Day 1 | 24 December | 16:50 | 18:55 | Ice dance | Rhythm dance |
| Day 1 | 24 December | 19:15 | 19:45 | Opening ceremony | |
| Day 1 | 24 December | 20:00 | 21:45 | Pairs | Short program |
| Day 2 | 25 December | 13:30 | 15:55 | Ice dance | Free dance |
| Day 2 | 25 December | 16:15 | 19:00 | Men | Free skating |
| Day 2 | 25 December | 19:20 | 21:45 | Ladies | Short program |
| Day 3 | 26 December | 16:30 | 18:40 | Pairs | Free skating |
| Day 3 | 26 December | 19:00 | 21:45 | Ladies | Free skating |
| Day 4 | 27 December | 13:00 | 13:45 | Victory ceremonies | |
| Day 4 | 27 December | 14:00 | 16:30 | Exhibition gala |
Preliminary entries
The Figure Skating Federation of Russia published the official list of participants on 9 December 2020.Junior Championships
The 2021 Russian Junior Championships will be held in Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai from 1 to 5 February 2021. Competitors qualified through the Russian Cup series' junior-level events. The competition would have been part of the selection criteria for the cancelled 2021 World Junior Championships.There were three separate bases for qualification:
- Qualification based on inclusion in official pre-season national junior team roster.
- Qualification based on competing at the 2021 Russian Senior Championships.
- Qualification based on Russian Cup series' junior-level results.
Schedule
Listed in local time.| Day | Date | Start | Finish | Discipline | Event |
| Day 1 | 3 February | 14:00 | 16:30 | Men | Short program |
| Day 1 | 3 February | 16:45 | 17:15 | Opening ceremony | |
| Day 1 | 3 February | 17:30 | 20:00 | Ladies | Short program |
| Day 1 | 3 February | 20:15 | 22:25 | Ice dance | Rhythm dance |
| Day 2 | 4 February | 14:00 | 16:45 | Men | Free skating |
| Day 2 | 4 February | 17:00 | 18:45 | Pairs | Short program |
| Day 2 | 4 February | 19:00 | 21:45 | Ladies | Free skating |
| Day 2 | 4 February | 22:00 | 22:30 | Victory ceremonies | |
| Day 3 | 5 February | 12:30 | 14:50 | Ice dance | Free dance |
| Day 3 | 5 February | 15:05 | 17:05 | Pairs | Free skating |
| Day 3 | 5 February | 17:30 | 18:00 | Victory ceremonies |
Entries
The Figure Skating Federation of Russia published the official list of participants on 26 January 2021.Changes to preliminary entries
The competition would have been part of the selection criteria for the 2021 World Junior Championships. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Skating Union cancelled the majority of all international junior competitions, including the 2020–21 ISU Junior Grand Prix and the World Junior Championships. As a result, several prominent juniors, such as reigning World and Russian Junior champion Kamila Valieva and World Junior silver medalist Daria Usacheva, decided to forgo the Russian Junior Championships and to focus solely on domestic senior-level competitions instead.Some skaters who qualified to the 2021 Russian Junior Championships based on Russian Cup series' junior-level results were forced to withdraw from the tournament due to health issues – namely single skaters Matvei Vetlugin and Mariia Zakharova as well as ice dancers Sofya Tyutyunina / Alexander Shustitskiy.