Alex Ovechkin comments on Russian invasion of Ukraine: ‘No more war’

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin spoke on the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia and provided an anti-war message.

Sports news took a backseat this week due to the serious world news of Russia launching an invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is from Russia, and on Friday, spoke with the media, where he provided an anti-war message.

“Please, no more war,” Ovechkin said, h/t Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. “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.”

You can listen to Ovechkin’s full press conference in the Capitals’ tweet below:

Alex Ovechkin on Russian invasion of Ukraine: ‘No more war’

Ovechkin, who is a native of Moscow, is a known supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who announced on Thursday that the country was going to invade Ukraine. The Capitals star said that Putin was his president, but he hoped that the situation would come to an end.

As said in the video above provided by Washington’s official Twitter account, Ovechkin’s family is in Russia, and said that it was a “tough question” when asked if they will stay there.

The media initially requested to interview Ovechkin on Thursday, the day the Capitals’ game against the New York Rangers. He ultimately spoke on Friday after the team’s practice ahead of their Saturday contest against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Ovechkin is not the only Russian athlete to deliver an anti-war message. After winning his Dubai Championship semifinals match, Russian professional tennis player Andrey Rublev wrote “no more war” on a television camera.