Putin's Instagram influencer circle includes famous hockey star
Ya know, the Russian government's pulled a lot of shit on the United States lately, but I did not expect them to reveal that Russian President Vladimir Putin orchestrated the drafting of Russian star Alexander Ovechkin to the Washington Capitals back in 2004 all so Putin could tap the hockey man to lead a pro-Putin propaganda effort from inside the U.S. capital.
Is that what happened? Can you prove that's not what happened? I'm just saying.
The real news is this: Ovechkin really is a Russian star for the Washington Capitals. As you can tell from the photo above, he really does occasionally pal around with Putin. And by posting to Instagram on Thursday, he really did seem to launch some sort of pro-Putin social media movement ahead of the Russian presidential "election" coming up in March.
The Washington Post translated the post, and here's the most relevant bit:
"I never hid my relationship with our president, always openly supported him.
I’m certain that there are many of us that support Vladimir Putin. Let’s unite and show everyone a strong and united Russia. Today, I want to announce a social movement in the name of Putin Team. Be a part of this team – to me it’s a privilege, it’s like the feeling of when you put on the jersey of the Russian team, knowing that the whole country is rooting for you.”
Ohkayyyyyyyy then.
Just so we're all on the same page, Putin has sat at the helm of the Russian government longer than anyone since Joseph Stalin, and, according to Human Rights Watch, "is more repressive than it has ever been in the post-Soviet era."
Under his watch, gay men have allegedly been tortured and murdered in Chechnya, and his government recently eased up on penalties for domestic abuse. Human Rights Watch described the Russian government's crackdown on dissent as "increasingly vicious."
Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
