Yevgeny Plushenko, known as the "Tsar" of Russian figure skating, praised President Putin for his actions. The Russian newspaper Izvestia reported that a meeting of the main group nominating Putin for next spring's presidential elections took place. At the meeting, two-time Olympic figure skating champion Plushenko announced that he considers Putin the best politician in the world and supports Russia's special military operation. As the greatest winter athlete in history, Plushenko's statement made Western countries very unhappy.
As the military operation against Ukraine continues, Plushenko spoke passionately about the current situation with President Putin: "The country is growing and getting back on its feet, and I pray that we will be able to unite behind our leaders, support them, and move forward side by side with them. It's only going to get better, Putin is the best politician in the world!" he praised President Putin, with whom he had a honeymoon relationship.
Plushenko is a reliable ally of President Putin, who has repeatedly sworn to follow Putin and put his patriotism first, despite Russia's sanctions in the world of sports. Since the start of the war, he has been working to expand his support for President Putin in the figure skating community, such as holding many "patriotic ice shows" that he personally produced. The Russian figure skating czar seems keen to strengthen relations with President Putin.
Some say that Japan's Hanyu Yuzuru is the best figure skater, but in fact Hanyu's idol is Plushenko, who has two Winter Olympics gold medals and three World Championship gold medals, and is known for his elegant skating style, known as the "Ice Prince". Plushenko, who joined the Just Russia party, retired from politics to continue his figure skating career, but some believe he wants to go back into politics.
Plushenko has repeatedly supported Russia's use of force against Ukraine, calling it an "inevitable special operation", and the Ukrainian parliament decided to impose sanctions on Plushenko at the end of last year for so-called "support for the war of aggression". Figure skating is a very influential winter sport in Europe and the United States, and Plushenko is the GOAT of figure skating, and his loyalty to Putin has also angered the European and American media, who have criticized him one after another.