Via The Athletic, a report on one NHL player’s opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine:

Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov spoke Friday about his denouncement of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, referencing an interview on YouTube with Russian journalist Yury Dud that was posted Thursday.

During the two-hour-long interview with Dud, Zadorov — who is Russian — said he is “sorry for all the young guys.”

“I’m sorry,” Zadorov said. “Instead of raising the new generation, we sent them to die.”

This is not the first time Zadorov has used his platform to speak out against the war. His Instagram page has a pinned post titled “NO WAR.”

Zadorov repeatedly told the media on Friday to watch the interview for his full thoughts and said he felt it was important to speak out against the invasion. Zadorov also mentioned that fellow Russian hockey players discussed the war in a group chat where some players expressed opinions either for or against the conflict, but Zadorov didn’t reveal names.

The 28-year-old also discussed how he processed hearing the “horrible news” of the invasion in February 2022 on the same day as a Flames-Canucks game in Vancouver. The following day, Zadorov posted “NO WAR” on his Instagram feed with the caption “STOP IT!!!” The post has nearly 11,000 likes.

Zadorov said that many young people feel the way that he feels but “don’t have a voice to speak out.”

“I think hopefully I can change something in this world,” Zadorov said. “It just sucks what’s going on over there right now. I think it’s just important to be vocal.”

When asked if he fears repercussions for his comments, Zadorov acknowledged that he has family in Russia who support Russian President Vladimir Putin and that he likely won’t return to his home country for the foreseeable future.

“I probably can’t go back anytime soon until Putin isn’t the president or that regime is still there,” Zadorov said. “So I can’t go back to my home country, but Florida is home for me right now so I’m enjoying my time over there.”

Zadorov is entering the final season of a two-year contract with the Flames. He had 14 goals and 21 points in 82 games last season with Calgary.