Flames' Zadorov becomes first Russian NHLer to openly oppose the war
Many believe that Russians in the NHL haven’t spoken out against Vladimir Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine due to fear, and while that may be the case, Calgary Flames’ Nikita Zadorov feels differently.
The Flames defenceman sat down for an interview with YouTuber Yuri Dud, where they discussed the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Zadorov explained that early into Russia’s invasion, several Russian NHL players spoke about putting out a message together, but were unable to come to an agreement on what they wanted it to say.
According to Zadorov, Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky started the chat amongst the Russian-born players, and believed a statement needed to be made. Zadorov says they were unable to agree on one, however.
“We broke up into two camps,” Zadorov said in Russian (translated with Google Translate). “The propaganda one, and the sane one, in my opinion.”
While this is the first time Zadorov has spoken publicly on the matter, he did put out an Instagram post in February of 2022 that read, “NO WAR.” The 28-year-old captioned the image with a simple yet powerful, “STOP IT.”
When speaking with Dud, Zadorov said he made the post hoping that it could somehow help put an end to the ongoing conflict.
“I felt like it was the right thing to do,” Zadorov explained. “I would make these statements hoping someone hears me out and changes their mind.”
One thing Zadorov made it clear he won’t do, however, is criticize those who have continued to play in the KHL despite what is going on around them. While he understands the frustration of those criticizing, he also knows that the players are doing what they have to do in order to make money.
“They want to make money for their families,” Zadorov said. “Unfortunately, the world is such that you have to step on your moral principles in order to do what you like.”
Zadorov has become a very popular player in Calgary over the last two seasons, and these comments will only help add to that. While you can certainly understand why some other Russians who share his beliefs may wish to remain quiet, he deserves a ton of credit for openly opposing what his home country is doing. Those who would like to watch the interview, which includes subtitles, can click the video below.
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