Aleksandr Ovetshkin sparked a debate by posing with Nikita Nagorny, the Olympic champion in gymnastics and the patriot of the patriotic youth organization.
One of Russia’s most popular athletes Alexander Ovetshkin the view of the ongoing war in Ukraine has been mysterious since Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24th.
President Vladimir Putinia the NHL superstar who has supported him on several occasions during his career has remained silent. The only exception has been a press conference in March after exercises at the Washington Capitals, skippered by Ovetshkin.
At the time, Ovetshkin, 36, was clearly bothered in front of a group of journalists. The assailant said he hoped the war would end, but at the same time said Putin was his president.
Since the press conference, the hockey star has spent a quiet life on its social media channels and avoided answering political questions.
However, Ovetshkin’s actions in the current world situation came up again when the Russian top gymnast Nikita Nagornyi, 25, posted a co-op with a hockey player on his Instagram account over the weekend. Nagornyi told (you will switch to another service) having received a hockey stick signed from Ovetshkin.
– The triumph of victory has no limits, friends, because here is one of the few athletes who I think is one of the toughest legends, Nagornyi wrote in his publication.
The image sparked discussion on social media, and not everyone was as excited about the shot. According to critics, it showed who Ovetshkin supports in the current world situation.
Nagornyi is not only the Olympic champion in scaffolding but also the head of Junarmija, a patriotic youth organization created by the Russian government.
The train armor literally means the youth army. It was established in 2015 by the Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigun at the instigation of.
According to its website, the train clerk has about a million members and 85 departments. The organization is acting in the interests of those in power and has visibly shown its support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, among other things.
Among other things, the train guard organizes army camps where young people are trained in the use of weapons, first aid and national defense, as well as sports camps and competitions. In 2017, told about Junarmija’s club day.
The train operator openly uses sports in his activities. In addition to Nagorny as chief, the board of the youth organization includes the Olympic champion in high jump Yelena Slesarenkobiathlon Olympic champion Svetlana Ishmoratovaa multiple value race winner of the long jump Tatiana Lebedeva and a multiple value medalist in sledding Dmitry Trunenkov.
All of them except Ishmoratova have received a doping conviction in their sports careers, but that has not been an obstacle to Junarmija’s senior management titles.
– There are three athletes with a history of doping who lead the train. They teach schoolchildren “morality and honesty,” a sports site Sports.ru (switch to another service) headlines his story in 2020.
Other well-known sports names such as pole vault star have been involved in the train Yelena Isinbayevaa two-time Olympic champion in gymnastics Svetlana Horkina and the Olympic champion in skiing Aleksandr Legkov.
The organization identifies one of its core missions as marketing healthy and athletic lifestyles for children and young people, but it is also integrating sport into politics while educating government-friendly patriots.
Like Alexander Ovetsh, Nagornyi, the organization’s current boss, has praised President Vladimir Putin on several occasions. The Olympic gymnast winner and three-time world champion marched ahead of Putin at the May Victory Day parade in Moscow and praised the experience as unbreakable.