The New York Rangers announced Monday afternoon that Artemi Panarin would be stepping away from the team for a brief period of time.
His decision to leave the team follows allegations published in a Russian newspaper that the forward assaulted a woman in a bar in 2011. In a statement, the Rangers expressed their full support of Panarin.
“Artemi vehemently and unequivocally denies any and all allegations in this fabricated story,” the Rangers said in a statement. “This is clearly an intimidation tactic being used against him for being outspoken on recent political events. Artemi is obviously shaken and concerned and will take some time away from the team. The Rangers fully support Artemi and will work with him to identify the source of these unfounded allegations.”
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 22, 2021
This is a wild story and much more complicated than it appears on the surface.
First, let’s break down the allegations against Panarin, which appeared in the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda.
In the story, Panarin’s former KHL coach Andrei Nazarov alleges that the winger, upset after a poor game, assaulted an 18-year-old woman in Latvia bar in 2011. According to Nazarov, he “sent the 18-year-old citizen of Latvia to the floor with several powerful blows.”
– After Vityaz lost to Dynamo 2-0, in which Panarin didn’t have a great game, Nazarov claims a then-19-year-old Panarin and other teammates were out at a hotel bar when he “sent the 18-year-old citizen of Latvia to the floor with several powerful blows.”
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) February 22, 2021
According to New York Post sports reporter Mollie Walker, Nazarov alleges that Panarin was detained by the police but that charges and a trial were ultimately dismissed after “40 thousand euros” changed hands.
The allegations are serious, even if they come so late after the fact. Still, it’s impossible to ignore the politics of the situation.
Nazarov is a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Panarin has recently shown support for opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
In a recent social media post, Panarin stood behind Navalny, a strong Kermlin critic who, per NPR, is currently jailed in Russia after recovering from “a near-fatal poisoning that he and Western governments have blamed on the Kremlin.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKTySKujt2N/
It’s clear that the Russian government doesn’t take dissent lightly. This is not like the US where posting an Instagram photo is seen as performative and lazy. By publicly showing support for Navalny, Panarin risked not just his reputation but his health and safety. In Russia, there are consequences for even the slightest opposition, and Panarin alluded to as much when he spoke about in 2019.
“I may look like a foreign agent right now, but it’s not like that,” Panarin said via a translation from ESPN. “I think that the people who hush up the problems are more like foreign agents than those who talk about them. If I think about problems, I am coming from a positive place, I want to change something, to have people live better. I don’t want to see retirees begging.”
Whether or not the allegations are true, there’s no denying the political undercurrent behind them. The allegations aren’t coming from the woman Panarin allegedly attacked, but from a former KHL coach whose reputation is also questionable. The Rangers and Panarin allege that this news story is a targeted “intimidation tactic.”
The fact that Panarin felt he needed to take time away from the team, rather than just deny the allegations and keep playing, also hints that there might be something more serious at play here.
New York Rangers head coach David Quinn says the team fully supports Panarin.
“We made a statement as an organization and there’s really not much I can elaborate on, other that the fact that he’s someone we care an awful lot about. It goes way beyond hockey. We’re here to support him.”