Leonid Slutsky's charges caused a stir by swapping sports during their preparations - A jovial ruse? A bit of fun? A clever warm-up routine?
Russia have been taking a break from their normal training regime, it seems.
Leonid Slutsky's side appeared to be giving the old legs a rest on Tuesday with an interesting new warm-up: handball.
The nation's participation at the Euros is under threat after being handed a suspended disqualification due to crowd trouble - could they be practicing a new sport just in case?