Fetisov says banned Russia "must be asked" to return to the international arena and becomes a laughingstock

Vyacheslav Fetisov, a two-time Olympic hockey champion and State Duma deputy, spoke about the current situation with the suspension of Russian athletes from international competitions. He noted that the approach based on requests and complaints will not lead to success.

"It's pointless to ask them. They will have to ask us to come back. And to do this, we must respect ourselves - raise the status of the Russian champion, the winner of the Russian Cup, the Russian Grand Prix," the 66-year-old ex-hockey player said on Roman Kostomarov's Rutube channel.

Fetisov recalled that Russia, despite its historical difficulties, has always been able to develop sports. "Before the Great Patriotic War, we did not participate in competitions at all, we were not allowed to. But when we won, we went to the Olympics in Helsinki and became an elite sports country," he added.

Speaking about the current situation, Fetisov expressed outrage at the low interest in national championships. "I get angry when I watch the national championships on TV and there are no people in the stands. Only figure skating gathers the audience. And how do we want to support athletes who have been unfairly offended by international organizations?"

In closing, he called for a focus on internal development and emphasized the importance of self-respect. "The law of the strong says: if you don't respect yourself, no one will respect you," Fetisov concluded.

Such pathetic speeches by Putin's closest friend provoked stormy comments from compatriots.

"You have poured a bucket of shit on yourself and now you want to be greeted and hugged as before," "Slavik, stop 'drowning' the country in USSR... We want a modern and successful country. You (your generation) have screwed up completely", "Tell me, why did you come here, having fled from here like a scalded man in the Soviet times! You came here to talk about what you ran away from...", "That's right, they are already putting on knee pads for us to crawl with a plea for our return," users do not hold back their emotions.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, in the spring of 2022, the IIHF Council suspended the national teams of Russia and Belarus from international competitions indefinitely due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In February 2024, the organization extended the sanctions for the 2024/25 season.

After that, two-time Olympic champion Vyacheslav Fetisov attacked the IIHF leaders and its president Luc Tardif with insults.

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