2021 Russian protests
In ice hockey, New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin takes a personal leave of absence after the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda publishes a story in which former Kontinental Hockey League coach Andrei Nazarov accuses him of sexually assaulting a 18-year old Latvian woman in Riga. The team releases a statement calling the allegations against Panarin a “intimidation tactic” against him after speaking out against “recent political events”, most notably being critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressing his support for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was detained upon return to Russia from Germany.
Sources: Axios The Guardian