An NHL Star Is Accused of Assault. Is He Being Targeted For Opposing Vladimir Putin?

Published: Feb. 25, 2021, 10 a.m.

It’s a hockey story that spans from Manhattan to Moscow. Here in America, Artemi Panarin is a star winger, an MVP candidate, and arguably the best player on the New York Rangers. But back home in Russia, the 29-year-old is something far more dangerous: the most vocal athlete opponent of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Today, Emily Kaplan explains the explosive accusations that have sidelined Panarin from the National Hockey League. Then, The Washington Post’s Moscow correspondent, Isabelle Khurshudyan, gives us the view on Panarin from inside Russia...and whether the Kremlin could actually be involved.