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New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin is taking time off from the NHL team after allegations emerged in Russia that he beat an 18-year-old woman in 2011.
Panarin is one of the few Russian athletes to have publicly criticized Vladimir Putin and his team suggested the assault allegations were a smear tactic to punish the player.
“Artemi vehemently and unequivocally denies all allegations in this fabricated story,” the Rangers said in a statement Monday. “This is clearly a bullying tactic used against him for being candid about recent political events.
“Artemi is obviously shaken and worried and will take time for the team. The Rangers fully support Artemi and will work with him to identify the source of these unsubstantiated allegations.
Although Panarin lives in the United States, he still has family in Russia.
Panarin recently posted the ‘Freedom for Navalny’ post on Instagram in reference to Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition figure who was jailed earlier this month in what many considered a mock trial.
Retaliation was to be feared after Panarin’s Instagram post on January 21 in favor of opposition leader Alexi Navalny with the caption “Freedom for Navalny”. Panarin, who has family in Russia, has been outspoken against Putin.
– Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) February 22, 2021
Panarin, like Navalny, is a longtime critic of the Russian president. “The mistake in our society is to treat [Putin] like a superhuman, “Panarin said in 2019.” He’s an ordinary person, like us, and he serves us … Yes, to be president you have to be smart and enlightened, but our biggest mistake, among so many others think we have no one better than Vladimir Vladimirovich. It does not make sense. How many millions of people live here? There is no doubt that there is someone better.
In the same interview, Panarin said that many in Russia would consider him a “foreign agent” for his views and also attacked his country’s progress under Putin.
“American cities thrive on local taxes that stay in the state,” he said. “But here a lot of money goes to Moscow, so people all over the world are working for the benefit of Moscow. I always thought it was unfair.
Panarin’s position stands in stark contrast to Russia’s biggest hockey star, Alex Ovechkin, who has a close relationship with Putin, even founding a movement, PutinTeam, to support the president.
Putin is a hockey fan and has appeared in televised exhibition games alongside businessmen, politicians and former NHL stars. In an appearance in a 2019 game, the 66-year-old scored at least eight goals against suspicious opponents.
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