Latest news with #PutinTeam
Boston Globe
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Russian President Vladimir Putin calls Alex Ovechkin's record-setting goal a reason for Russia to celebrate
The feat — and the comments from the Kremlin — have put a fresh spotlight on Ovechkin's past support for Putin and on the hockey star's stance on the war in Ukraine. Ovechkin, who has played for the Capitals since 2005, has lived in the United States for the past two decades. But his Instagram profile photo shows him with Putin, and in 2017, he started a social media movement called #PutinTeam, months before Russia's elections. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The hockey star also raised eyebrows in 2022 when he failed to issue an outright condemnation of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. When asked about it at a news conference, Ovechkin said, 'Please, no more war.' In response to a question about whether he still supported Putin, Ovechkin said, 'He's my president,' but added: 'I am not in politics. I'm an athlete.' Advertisement Volume UP to hear Alex Ovechkin's reaction to his record-breaking goal. 🔊 — NHL (@NHL) In his postgame remarks Sunday, Ovechkin celebrated the achievement with a flurry of gratitude for his fellow players — and said, 'Russia, we did it!' On Monday, Russian state television celebrated the athlete as 'our pride, a Russian hockey player who made history,' drawing 'admiration on both sides of the Atlantic.' Advertisement Pro-Putin pundits were quick to seize on Ovechkin's achievements after the record-setting goal. 'Ovechkin has showed many times he is not afraid and not ashamed of being Russian, even when Russians have been bullied for being Russian,' Sergei Markov, a political scientist with links to the Kremlin, wrote on social media. 'This is another thing that everyone in Russia is grateful to Ovechkin for, as well as the respect he has won in the world — not just for the hockey.' Ovechkin has not competed for Russia internationally since 2019, and the The war has been a contentious issue in international sports, with Russian athletes coming under pressure to condemn the war. This article originally appeared in .
Washington Post
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Putin praises Ovechkin after he breaks NHL all-time goal record
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin for breaking the NHL's goals record, the Kremlin said Monday. 'I would like to congratulate you on this outstanding achievement. You have surpassed hockey legends,' Putin said, according to a posting on the Kremlin's Telegram channel. 'This new achievement is undoubtedly not only a personal triumph, but also a truly joyous day for fans both in Russia and around the world.' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin 'highly appreciates' Ovechkin's tally, adding that 'we are all very happy and congratulate him.' On Sunday, Ovechkin topped Canadian hockey player Wayne Gretzky's record by scoring his 895th goal against the host New York Islanders. Gretzky scored his last 894th goal in 1999. For 26 years, no other athlete came close to eclipsing his record. Putin's message of support and the response to Ovechkin's record inside Russia has highlighted the complex relationship between sports and politics, as many officials and supporters of Russia's invasion of Ukraine have hailed Ovechkin's victory as a win for Russian soft power and a boost to the country's global reputation. Ovechkin has long openly backed Putin, regularly posting messages of support for the president on social media. In 2017, he announced the creation of a new social movement in support of Putin, which he called Putin Team. 'I never hid my relationship with our president, always openly supported him,' he wrote at the time in a post on Instagram. On Sunday night, Ovechkin addressed his Russian fans directly. 'To all my fans, in the whole world, in Russia, we did it boys!' he said, in an emotional speech after the game. Ovechkin's success is a rare, celebratory moment on the world stage for Russians, after international condemnation of the war in Ukraine saw Russian cultural and sporting figures ostracized, especially those who publicly supported the war. When asked about the war at a news conference in 2022, Ovechkin called for 'no more war,' but gave a muted response when questioned about his support for Putin. 'Well, he is my president. But as I said, I am not in politics. I am an athlete,' he said. 'I'm Russian. It's something I can't control. It's not in my hands. I hope [the war] is going to end soon.' Leading figures in Russia celebrated the record-breaking moment as one that breaks Russia's isolation. 'Proud of Alexander Ovechkin, proud of Russian sport!,' Mikhail Degtyarev, Russia's sports minister, wrote on Telegram. 'In an era when world sport has become an arena for political confrontation, the great Russian hockey player once again proved that a true champion will break through any barriers and win the love of fans in any circumstances.' Degatyarev asserted that Ovechkin had never 'been shy about his passport' and remains a member of the Putin Team. 'There you go: a Russian guy, and the whole world applauds him. He has never once given up his flag, his anthem, his country's president,' wrote Vyacheslav Fetisov, a Soviet-era hockey player and current parliamentarian, adding that this would send a message to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Russian athletes have had to compete under a neutral status since sanctions were imposed by the IOC and other sports governing bodies, primarily in response to Russia's invasion and previous state-sponsored doping violations in Russian sport. Putin's chief negotiator and economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund and was recently in Washington for talks with the Trump administration, signaled in posts on X that Ovechkin's record-breaking goal could help unite Russia and the United States. The Russian Embassy in Washington also highlighted the 'unifying potential of hockey,' which it said was discussed during a recent call between Putin and President Donald Trump. Russia's 'Z' Community — military bloggers, nationalists and supporters of the war — also celebrated the goal as a boost for the war and Russian soft power. One nationalist blogger, German Kulikovsky, wrote on Telegram that Ovechkin's goal has 'direct significance' for Russia in its confrontation with NATO and the West. 'It is the success of an outstanding Russian athlete and a great man who has done much for Russia, and can do even more. It is the same soft power and cultural advancement that our enemies have always been strong on, that we have lacked,' he wrote. 'And we all know that the war goes on. But waging it, when good Russian people win not only on the battlefield, is somehow easier.' Natalia Abbakumova in Riga, Lativa, contributed to this report.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
World sport-starved Moscow cheers Ovechkin NHL record
Russian hockey star Alexander Ovechkin made ice hockey history by becoming the NHL's all-time goal scoring leader (Alexander NEMENOV) Russian engineer Leonid Alexeyev has been waiting for "many years" for his countryman Alexander Ovechkin to make ice hockey history, patiently keeping track of his goals -- until the towering Muscovite finally did it this weekend. Advertisement Ovechkin -- a 39-year-old hockey star and off-ice fan of Russian President Vladimir Putin -- scored his 895th goal on Sunday, overtaking a record long held by Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. His feat at a New York arena drew jubilation in Moscow -- with Russians having had little opportunity to celebrate international sporting success over the past three years, kicked out of a host of competitions over the Kremlin's Ukraine offensive. Putin praised the hockey player, with some fans even hoping that the record will speed up a warming of relations with the United States. "The emotions are so strong. We waited for this for many years," Alexeyev told AFP on the streets of Moscow. "We were counting from around 250 goals and we waited for the record," he added. Advertisement The 43-year-old hoped that it could bring Russia and the United States closer -- with sporting success important to both hockey-playing Putin and golf-lover Trump. "Such sporting events produce a chance for a potential improvement of relations between our countries," Alexeyev said. "God willing, this will be one of the first steps." After Trump and Putin spoke last month in a phone call focused on Ukraine, the Kremlin made a point of saying Trump had "supported" a proposal to stage hockey matches "in the United States and Russia between Russian and American players". Advertisement Moscow was decorated on Monday with billboards of Ovechkin. "Sasha, we are with you," some of them read, using the affectionate version of his first name. - 'Happy he is Russian' - Despite his prowess on the ice, Ovechkin's politics and Russian connections have stoked controversy. The hockey star has been a prominent supporter of Putin's 25-year rule. He founded the "PutinTeam" campaign group to support the Russian president's re-election bid in 2018 and has come under criticism for continuing to support the Kremlin leader after 2022, when Moscow launched its military offensive in Ukraine. Advertisement In a political balancing act, Ovechkin has not denounced Moscow's Ukraine offensive, but he has also carefully veered away from supporting it -- despite knowing such a move would be welcomed by Putin. When asked about the conflict in 2022, Ovechkin called for "no more war". But when asked about Putin his usual frankness was absent. "Well, he is my president. But how I said, I am not in politics. I am an athlete and I hope everything is going to be done soon," Ovechkin said at the time. "I'm Russian. It's something I can't control. It's not in my hands. I hope it's going to end soon." In a congratulatory message sent Monday after breaking the record, Putin said to Ovechkin: "This achievement has become not only your personal success, but also a real celebration for fans in Russia and abroad." Advertisement Many Russians were encouraged that despite relations between Moscow and Washington having plummeted, Ovechkin had success and celebrity-like status in the United States. He has been affectionately dubbed "Ovi" by fans of his team -- the Washington Capitals. "Americans like him," said 68-year-old pensioner Lyudmila on the streets of Moscow. "This shows that relations between Russians and Americans are actually not bad." Ovechkin was born in Moscow and is from a family of athletes -- his mother was a prominent former basketball player in the Soviet Union, while his father played football for Dynamo Moscow. Advertisement He debuted professionally in hockey at the age of 16 and played for Dynamo Moscow, before moving to the US league in the early 2000s. "In any case he is our hockey player, our Russian hockey player, he is great," said 63-year-old doctor Alexei Mikhailov. The fact the record was broken by a Russian was "doubly pleasing", he added. "I am happy that it is a Russian man who achieves this result." bur/jc/sbk
New York Times
07-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Putin Calls N.H.L. Star's Record-Setting Goal a Reason for Russia to Celebrate
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia congratulated the hockey player Alex Ovechkin on Monday for breaking the N.H.L.'s goal-scoring record. Mr. Ovechkin, 39, captain of the Washington Capitals, scored his 895th career goal on Sunday evening in a game against the New York Islanders. That broke a record set by Wayne Gretzky that had stood for 26 years. In a statement on Monday, Mr. Putin praised Mr. Ovechkin, who started out as a professional hockey player in Moscow, for the 'momentous achievement' that he called 'a genuine cause for celebration for fans in Russia and beyond.' The sports feat — and the comments from the Kremlin — have put a fresh spotlight on Mr. Ovechkin's past support for Mr. Putin and on the hockey star's stance on the war in Ukraine. Mr. Ovechkin, who has played for the Washington Capitals since 2005, has lived in the United States for the past two decades. But his Instagram profile photo shows him with Mr. Putin, and in 2017, he started a social media movement called #PutinTeam, months before Russia's elections. The hockey star also raised eyebrows in 2022 when he failed to issue an outright condemnation of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. When asked about it at a news conference, Mr. Ovechkin said, 'Please, no more war.' In response to a question about whether he still supported Mr. Putin, Mr. Ovechkin said, 'He's my president,' but added, 'I am not in politics. I'm an athlete.' In his postgame remarks on Sunday, Mr. Ovechkin celebrated the achievement with a flurry of gratitude for his fellow players — and said, 'Russia, we did it!' On Monday, Russian state television celebrated the athlete as 'our pride, a Russian hockey player who made history,' drawing 'admiration on both sides of the Atlantic.' Pro-Putin pundits were quick to seize on Mr. Ovechkin's achievements after the record-setting goal. 'Ovechkin has showed many times he is not afraid and not ashamed of being Russian, even when Russians have been bullied for being Russian,' Sergei Markov, a political scientist with links to the Kremlin, wrote on social media. 'This is another thing that everyone in Russia is grateful to Ovechkin for, as well as the respect he has won in the world — not just for the hockey.' Mr. Ovechkin has not competed for Russia internationally since 2019, and the Russian national team has been banned from global competitions by the International Ice Hockey Federation since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war has been a contentious issue in international sports, with Russian athletes coming under pressure to condemn the war.
