Russian NHL star Ovechkin says ‘please, no more war’
PHILADELPHIA — Alex Ovechkin, the Russian star of the Washington Capitals, delivered an antiwar message Friday amid his home country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The 36-year-old, who has previously voiced support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he hopes the war will be over soon and there will be “peace in the whole world.”
“Please, no more war,” Ovechkin said during a four-minute interview with reporters after Washington’s practice in Philadelphia on Friday. “It doesn’t matter who is in the war — Russia, Ukraine, different countries, I think we live in a world, like, we have to live in peace and a great world.”
When asked if he still supports Putin amid the invasion, Ovechkin, said “he is my president,” adding that he was an athlete not a politician.
“Well, he is my president,” Ovechkin said. “But . . . I am not in politics. I am an athlete and you know, how I said, I hope everything is going to be done soon. It’s hard situation right now for both sides and everything, like how I said, everything I hope is going to be end. I’m not in control of this situation.”
Ovechkin’s wife, children and parents were in Moscow. On Friday, he said it was tough to know whether they would remain there, calling it a “hard question,” because of how rapidly the situation has unfolded. “We will see what is going to happen,” he said.
“My family is over there, of course I pay attention (to) what’s (happening) out there,” Ovechkin said. “I don’t want to see nobody get hurt, nobody get killed. How I said, I hope it’s going to be over and we’re gonna be living in a good world.”
Other Russian athletes have recently spoken out amid the invasion. Andrey Rublev, a 24-year-old Russian tennis player, wrote “No war please” on a television camera after a win Friday, and Russian soccer player Fedor Smolov has voiced his opposition in an Instagram post.
“It is scary moments,” Ovechkin said. “But we can’t do anything. We just hope it going to be end soon and everything is going to be all right.”
Reporters asked to speak with Ovechkin, one of a handful of Russian players on the Capitals, on Thursday. He instead spoke Friday, delivering his comments with a serious tone after taking some time to collect his thoughts.
Washington’s next game is Saturday in Philadelphia.
Ovechkin is one of the NHL’s biggest stars and has long proudly represented his country in international events. But he also has long-standing ties to Putin, which have drawn attention through the years.
For example, in 2017, Ovechkin announced that he was organizing a movement to support Putin. His Instagram profile photo is a picture of Ovechkin with the Russian president.
“Today, I want to announce a social movement in the name of PutinTeam,” Ovechkin wrote on Instagram. “Be a part of this team — to me it’s a privilege, it’s like the feeling of when you put on the jersey of the Russian team, knowing that the whole country is rooting for you.” Ovechkin ended the post with the hashtag #putinteam.