MOSCOW, June 4. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin can still skate, and still plays ice hockey, Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Thursday.
"Yes, indeed. The president still plays ice hockey," Peskov said in response to comment on a statement made to TASS by two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time NHL Stanley Cup Champion Vyacheslav Fetisov that he had recently played ice hockey with the Russian president.
Speaking in an interview with TASS earlier in the day on the sidelines of the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Fetisov stated: "Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin's] love affair with this sport continues. It [the game] is always exhilarating, gives you the chance to switch off. The game of ice hockey is about that flush of excitement you get. Putting a puck in the back of the net, dishing out an assist and skating fast. What a rush."
"Being in good physical condition and enjoying sports, this game particularly, is a must-do today. We usually sit and shoot the breeze with other [hockey and sports legends]. [Putin] also chops it up with us," Fetisov said.
Putin’s last televised skate was in 2021, when he was joined on the ice by his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko for a friendly game in St. Petersburg. In 2020, the Russian president played hockey on Moscow’s Red Square with Dima Ashchepkov as part of a New Year Wish Tree charity event.
