Russian athletes Alexander Ovechkin and Andrey Rublev call for ‘no more war’ in first comments on crisis in Ukraine
- ‘I hope it’s going to end soon and it’s going to be peace in both countries,’ Russian NHL star Ovechkin said
- Fellow Russian Andrey Rublev wrote ‘No War Please’ on a TV camera moments after advancing to the final at the Dubai Championships
Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin asked for “no more war” while speaking with reporters on Friday.
“I’m Russian, right? Sometimes something I can’t control. It’s not in my hands. How I say, I hope it’s going to end soon and it’s going to be peace in both countries. I don’t control this one.”
Regarding his support of Putin, Ovechkin said “well, he’s my president but … I’m not in politics, I’m an athlete. How I said, I hope everything is gonna be done soon. It’s sad situation right now for both sides … I hope everything is gonna be done soon. … And I’m not control this situation.”
It came as tennis player and fellow Russian Andrey Rublev wrote “No War Please” on a TV camera moments after advancing to the final at the Dubai Championships on Friday.
The seventh-ranked Rublev had just beaten Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) in their semi-final when he wrote his message on the camera, a common practice after matches.
For NHL star Ovechkin, the situation is especially hard, given his wife, infant kids and other family members currently live in Russia.
“It’s a hard situation. I have family back in Russia and 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.”
He added: “Please, no more war. 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.”
