Russian Athlete Alex Ovechkin Makes Plea: "No More War"

[kpete]

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin issued an anti-war statement on Friday in his first comments following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Please, no more war. It doesn't matter who is in the war -- Russia, Ukraine, different countries -- we have to live in peace," he said following the Capitals' practice.

Ovechkin, 36, has been an ardent supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin over the years. In 2017, he campaigned on behalf of Putin by starting a social media movement called Putin Team, writing, "I never made a secret of my attitude toward our president, always openly supporting him." His Instagram profile photo features him posing with Putin.

When asked Friday whether he supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine this week, Ovechkin said, "I'm Russian, right? It's not something I can control. It's not in my hands. I hope it's going to end soon and there's going to be peace in both countries. I don't control this one."

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/33370783/washington-capitals-alex-ovechkin-addresses-russia-invasion-ukraine-pleads-peace-no-more-war

Link to tweet

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[El Supremo]

1. Typical Russian citizen - I can't do anything.

I've seen them here. They need to change.

[Igel]

2. I'll cut him slack.

He's here. In the US. What, exactly, *should* he do besides talk? Throw Molotov cocktails at the Russian Embassy?

I suspect that getting from here to Sheremet'evo will be a bit dicey in the next few weeks.

[FakeNoose]

3. Please give this guy a break

I'm a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan, and normally I hate the Washington Capitals, because ... well you know.

Alex Ovechkin is murder on ice to his hockey opponents, but he's torn up because his wife and 2 kids are back in Russia. He's here in the US playing professional hockey and making more money than he could ever make in Russia. BUT he's close to retirement and he wants to return to his family and home rather soon. He's seen it from the other side, he's one of the few that made it out of Russia. He can see that Putin is making a huge mistake and it's tearing him up inside. But speaking out against Putin might be a problem for his family. Maybe it means he can't ever return to his country. Give the guy a break, please!

We have a similar situation in Pittsburgh, a star player for the Penguins is Evgeny Malkin who has a wife and family back home in Russia, but he lives here 6 months of the year. It's not easy for these guys.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

4. Feels pretty mild.

Many prominent Russians have been much more outspoken.