The legendary Soviet biathlete, four-time Olympic champion Alexander Tikhonov, drove hard over pop singer Alla Pugacheva, who lives outside Russia.
"I knew Pugacheva even before she became a Prima Donna. On my 60th birthday (Tikhonov turned 60 in 2007), it was impossible to take the microphone away from her for an hour - she sang with a lively voice. She left a good mark in the history of Russia, gave us "A million scarlet roses." But where is it all? That's exactly what Pugacheva was, and now she's gone. There is no return to traitors in Russia! I would never forgive her!
It was this country that made you Pugacheva, and you say such things about the Motherland! And it's not just her — there is also such a synchronist Davydova, who left with the words: "I will never return to this country!"
And don't. Without people like her and Pugacheva, Russia will be cleaner! They continue to pour mud on the country, so for me they are traitors to the Motherland! And there was nothing left of them.
I lived abroad for nine and a half years, I didn't have the opportunity to enter my native Russia, but I still returned against the current. I was offered a great job, fabulous salary, a great apartment and several cars, but I refused. How could I work against my country and biathlon, to which I gave my whole life? These are the concepts we need to live with to this day," Tikhonov told the Sport24 portal.
In turn, journalist Kirill Zangalis commented on the decision of the legendary hockey player Igor Larionov to move from the USA to Russia:
"I really understand the great hockey player Larionov. He was a revered player in the NHL. I'm sure he's a strong dollar millionaire. It seems to me that he could live peacefully, comfortably and happily in the USA. But his words — that in Russia is safer, that in Russia is more comfortable, they testify that he is a very smart person. Such a smart man, a famous hockey player, one of the best in the history of world hockey — here he made his choice, and he emphasizes it. I am very glad that such people are coming back.
And I think that year after year there will be more and more such cases. And not only famous athletes or some other great people of our planet, but also ordinary people and even people who do not have Russian or Soviet origin."
Igor Larionov is currently working as the head coach of Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. In a recent interview, the Professor told reporters:
"We have closed our American history of 35 years. Everything was sold and completely moved to Russia. Today, Russia is a safer and more economically interesting state than what is happening in America. And that's one of the reasons why I came back. We want to be here, we want to enjoy the air, language, people, friends, theaters, communication that we can get in Russia. We want to develop together with our country."
Larionov, as part of Detroit, won the Stanley Cup three times (1997, 1998, 2002).