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After declining to speak with the media on Thursday, hours after Russia invaded Ukraine, Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin broke his silence a day later. The 12-time NHL All-Star from Russia said he's hoping for "no more war."

Ovechkin called the situation "hard" because he has friends in both Russia and Ukraine. The 36-year-old added he wants "peace in the whole world" sooner rather than later.

"Please, no more war," Ovechkin said. "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."

While Ovechkin criticized the war, he directed no negative words toward Russian president Vladimir Putin. A longtime supporter of Putin, Ovechkin called him "my president" on Friday and said it is a "hard situation right now for both sides." Ovechkin established a social movement called PutinTeam in 2017 to strengthen his re-election bid.

Ovechkin's anti-war sentiment mirrors that of another Russian athlete. World No. 7 tennis player Andrey Rublev wrote "no war please" on a nearby camera lens immediately after he advanced to the Dubai Open final on Friday.

Russia's invasion reportedly reached Ukraine's capital of Kyiv on Friday.

Excerpt from:
Alex Ovechkin breaks silence on Russia's invasion of Ukraine: 'Something I can't control, it's not in my hands - CBS Sports