Halinichev was killed at the front in March 2023, one of more than 400 athletes killed since the outbreak of the war. His body has yet to be recovered.
Kelly Curtis, an airman first class and first-time Olympian, narrowly missed a spot in the medal round, with a combined time of 3:09.23 across three rounds on the mile-long skeleton track northwest of Beijing.
The two leaders are looking to project themselves as a counterweight to the U.S.-led bloc, as China growingly shows support for Moscow in its dispute with Ukraine.