Svinin competed with Olga Volozhinskaya for the Soviet Union. Winners of the 1980 Grand Prix International St. Gervais, they made their senior ISU Championship debut later that season at the 1981 World Championships, placing fifth. Volozhinskaya/Svinin were fourth at the 1982 European Championships and sixth at the 1982 World Championships. Their best international results came the next year — silver at the 1983 European Championships and fourth at the 1983 World Championships.