Berezhnaya had begun to develop friendships with the other skaters at Yubileyny, becoming particularly close to Anton Sikharulidze, the 1994 and 1995 World Junior champion with Maria Petrova. Shliakhov began to perceive Sikharulidze as his rival. At the end of 1995, Shliakhov demanded that they train in Riga for three weeks in preparation for the 1996 European Championships. Sikharulidze urged her to stay in Saint Petersburg but she believed she could manage a few weeks.