Your comment noted Spinex. If being a pedant as a result of suggesting the reporting be accurate - then thank you for the compliment.
Subsequent to Seagull's comment, my interest was raised enough to read the FAI's rules on such flights. Throughout they are referred to "around the world" and not otherwise because of the considerations you mention Spinex.
Further to the Russki's fastest flight around the world for which his preliminary claim is before the FAI for ratification, (the claim is for an "Absolute Record" in ballooning), he is also claiming 4 records in various sub-classes, one of which is a distance record of 34,000km which eclipses Steve Fossett's distance record by around 800km
As I said earlier, a commendable effort.