#нетвойне. The Russian hashtag Net Voyne (pr: Niyet Vaainiye) appeared sombrely on black backgrounds of a handful of Russia’s most revered sports profiles on social media, as athletes from the sporting powerhouse asserted their opposition to war after the invasion of Ukraine. In what might be unprecedented public expressions in that part of the world, young champions – big names in their respective sports – weighed in on the situation, pleading for pacifism and peace and an end to violence.
The Big statements:
1. Daniil Medvedev, Tennis World No. 1
“Today, I want to speak on behalf of every kid in the world. They all have dreams, their lives are just starting, so many nice experiences to come. That’s why I want to ask for peace in the world, for peace between countries. Kids are born with inner trust in the world, they believe so much in everything, in people, in love, in safety, in justice, in their chances in life. Let’s be together and show them that it’s true, because every kid shouldn’t stop dreaming.”
#kiddontstopdreaming pic.twitter.com/veNwRIkKnx
— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) February 27, 2022
The Russian who replaced Novak Djokovic as tennis’ male World No. 1 a day later, stayed authentic when addressing the situation in his social media post. Medvedev had spoken despondently of a “kid’s dream ending” after he lost the Australian Open final last month. And he carried in the same vein – stepping into a child’s shoes, so to speak – aware of the destruction and death that a war could bring.
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2. Andrey Rublev, Tennis World No. 6
“It’s not about my match [or] how it affects me because what’s happening is much more terrible. You realise how important it is to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what and to be united.”
Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev writing “No war please” on the camera after his win in Dubai today.
— Read The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin (@JoshuaPotash) February 25, 2022
The Russian World No. 6 imprinted “No War Please” on a TV camera lens with a marker moments after his semi-final win over Hubert Hurkacz at the Dubai Duty Free tennis championships. The video clip soon after he fist-pumped was watched by millions. Russian tennis players have always been wildly expressive on court, but the 24-year-old seemed to be overcome by emotion, while stepping outside the athlete’s bubble, staying poised about the big picture after reaching the final, as he said later: “In these moments, you realise that my match is not important.” These are conflicted times for Russian players because in near-peace situations (as late as a fortnight ago), Rublev was winning the Marseille Open doubles title, playing alongside Ukrainian Denys Molchanov.
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3. Alex Ovechkin, Ice hockey great, & Nikita Zadorov
“Please, no more war. It doesn’t matter who is in the war – Russia, Ukraine, different countries – I think we have to live in peace and a great world.”
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin issued an anti-war statement on Friday in his first comments following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Please, no more war. It doesn’t matter who is in the war … we have to live in peace,” he said. https://t.co/ubTGh8WdTE
— ESPN (@espn) February 25, 2022
NHL darling, who has a frenzied following back in Russia and belongs to the adored “Great Eight”, while being a follower of Vladimir Putin after the Crimean invasion, Ovechkin, 36, has been a figure of pride. Russians always saw ice hockey as more than just a game, with entire Cold War discourses having zipped on ice. But speaking to American reporters in Philadelphia earlier, Ovechkin appealed “no more war”, after a reiteration of “I’m just an athlete,” and not criticising Putin, as he added: “He’s my President.” Fellow hockey player Nikita Zadorov, 26, of Calgary Flames, wrote “no war” in red on black, and was more insistent in his captioning “Stop it.”
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4. Pavel Sivakov
“First of all, I only want to say that I’m totally against the war and can’t get (my head) around what’s happening in Ukraine. All my thoughts are with Ukrainian people. Secondly, I also want people to understand that most of the Russians only want peace and never asked for all of this to happen, we shouldn’t be targets of hate just because of our origin. I know these few lines won’t make a big difference to the current situation but I just wanted to share it.”
This, from Pavel Sivakov ? https://t.co/KRy8mDJ9zS
— Robyn (@robynjournalist) February 25, 2022
Born in Italy to Russian cyclist couple Alexei Sivakov and Aleksandra Koliaseva, 26-year-old Pavel, a Team Ineos Grenadiers cyclist who’s won stage races at Tour of the Alps and Tour de Pologne, was quoted by cyclingweekly.com as saying “most Russians wanted peace.” His tweet got RTed 700 times, and was liked by around 10,000. He holds dual Russian-French citizenship.
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5. Larisa Kuklina, Biathlon Europe medallist
“What’s going on!? Pull up! We live in the 21st century!”
Larisa Kuklina, 31, posted an image of herself with a heart split into Russia and Ukraine flags, urging countries to come up to scratch with 21st-century sensibilities. While the International Biathlon Union withdrew events from Russia, the biathlete was left exasperated with the impending spectre.
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6. Fedor Smolov, football
#NOtowar
Well-known Russian football player Fedor Smolov, 32, who idolised Andriy Shevchenko and George Weah as footballers, was amongst the first Russian footballers to hit Instagram and post the hashtag NotoWar. The Dynamo Moscow player, who returned to his first club after 11 years, scored the opener in a 3-0 win against FC Khimki on Saturday. The three-time Russian Footballer of the Year between 2015-18 was part of the squad that ousted Spain at the FIFA 2018 World Cup. He is rumoured to be in a relationship with Maria Shumayeva, granddaughter of Boris Yeltsin.
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7. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Tennis Ace
“Personal ambitions or political motives cannot justify violence. This takes away the future not only from us, but also from our children. Stop the violence, stop the war.”
— Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (@NastiaPav) February 28, 2022
Posting on her social media, French Open 2021 finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, made the most direct and pithiest comment on the situation, urging an end to violence and war. In a well-articulated statement, she penned, “I’ve been playing tennis since I was a kid. I have represented Russia all my life. This is my home and my country. But now I am in complete fear, as are my friends.
“But I am not afraid to clearly state my position. I am against war and violence.”
It was the strongest hint at unease amongst Russian athletes.
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8. Ian Nepomniachtchi, Peter Svidler, Nikita Vitiugov, Alexandra Kosteniuk
“I will make my position clear. You cannot defend yourself on someone else’s territory. Russians and Ukrainians are brothers, not enemies. Stop the war.” – Nikita Vitiugov, as translated from Russian by chess.com
A clutch of top chess Grandmasters from Russia, including Vitiugov, a member of former World Championships squads, posted their dismay at Russian actions in Ukraine. GM Peter Svidler wrote “Silence made today possible. Say no to war.” GM Alexandra Kosteniuk posted a blank dire black empty post, while Russian IM Alina Bivol pleaded with the world not to hate Russians for “actions of authorities.”
World Championship contender Ian Nepomniachtchi called the start of the attacks, “Blacker than any black Thursdays.”
