Nikita Tkachuk, the Russian bodybuilder known as the Russian Hulk, passed away at 34 in May 2025 due to multi-organ failure. His death highlights the physical toll of bodybuilding, often driven by muscle dysmorphia or bigorexia. While his arms, chest, and deltoids were enormous, his body was collapsing internally.
In the months and years leading up to his death, Nikita endured a series of severe health crises. On the Yaroslav Aminokislotny Nikita Tkachuk. What Happened? podcast, he described how his problems began roughly 18 months before the recording.
“Let’s start with the fact that a year and a half ago since there was coronavirus.”
He recalled the start of his decline. After being hospitalized with COVID-19, he experienced persistent shortness of breath.
“I was hospitalized and for a very long time I was suffering from shortness of breath.”
He later discovered the underlying cause was likely an undiagnosed autoimmune condition.
“Most likely I had it as a child. What is sarcoidosis? It’s a disease of the lungs, but the consequences of this disease are a strong release of calcium into the blood. During this, it was not detected.”
His health worsened further during a summer vacation when he experienced sudden leg swelling.
“While I was on vacation, my leg swelled up. I started walking directly from the hip. The doctors were shrugging their shoulders and wondering what this was.”
Walking remained difficult for six months.
“I pumped out more using a folk method with syringes. For six months I couldn’t walk very well on my own.”
Eventually, surgery was required to address calcium accumulation in his hip joint. The operation revealed severe organ damage.
“Only then did they discover that the kidneys work quite poorly, and after just noticed the high calcium levels. All the blood vessels were clogged with calcium, and the kidneys are clogged. The kidneys don’t change their structure; that is, the kidneys look fine but they are just tinted with calcium.”
His kidney function reached a critical stage.
“I don’t care now, currently the fourth degree of chronic insufficiency.”
Daily life became a struggle.
“The hardest thing for me is this. Let’s say I’m basically starting over again. I learned to walk because after the operation, basically, I couldn’t even do it normally. When moving, my legs become sore and clogged because creatinine is high.”
His creatinine levels had reached 574, roughly six times the normal range.
He also experienced dramatic weight loss.
“By the time I went to the hospital for surgery, I already weighed 260–253 lbs (118–115 kg). I would have a very drawn-in face. Weight was 145, yes, in my opinion.”
Arm measurements decreased from 63 centimeters to approximately 56–57 centimeters.
Hospital procedures were very painful.
“I didn’t want to, I was just pinching myself in pain. I thought I’d rather die. Without any anesthesia at all, that is, you clean every day and anesthesia. Why? It was impossible. Well, because they clean every day, like a regular bandage.”
At the time of the interview, Nikita was undergoing dialysis treatments.
“They cleansed me from calcium, that is, to bring the indicators into normal calcium.”
Despite intensive treatment, his prognosis was grim.
“As they said, as I was told by the doctor, it’s not curable, so it’s better for you it won’t happen. But at the same time we see positive dynamics.”
Nikita’s health struggles were compounded by years of questionable bodybuilding practices. In 2015, he began injecting site enhancement oils into his muscles, a dangerous practice that can cause nerve damage, fibrosis, infections, and heart and lung complications. He continued under contractual obligations to a pharmaceutical company, even as his health deteriorated.
Reflecting on his choices, he admitted in 2022,
“If I did not use these injections, I would have been very successful in bodybuilding.”
Despite arms exceeding 60 centimeters, he lost the opportunity to compete professionally. Driven by bigorexia, he aimed to reach 300 lbs (136 kg), even as his use of PEDs and oils and his disease devastated his body.
Ultimately, sarcoidosis, kidney failure, calcium buildup, and a series of complications, including fluid in the lungs, blood clots, and heart failure, led to his death.
