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Alex Ovechkin Helps Pick Miss Moscow 2014, Explains Why He’s Around Maria Kirilenko Less

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Photo: ITAR-TASS

On Thursday night, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin returned to the spotlight for the first time since he accepted his fourth Rocket Richard Trophy in Las Vegas. The re-emergence was for good reason.

Ovechkin was the head judge of Miss Moscow 2014. (Hall of famer Pavel Bure was on the panel too.)

“In my opinion everything went very well, very lovely,” Ovechkin said to TV reporter Ivan Obydenkov. “For us, the judges on the panel, it was one hundred percent clear who the winner was.”

The winner, 18-year-old ballet dancer Irina Alekseeva, is an art student from the Moscow College of Fine Arts.

Twenty-eight girls took part in the show. Each one performed two dance numbers and then competed in swimsuit, talent, and evening gown competitions.

Alekseeva ran away with the competition after a stunning ballet number during the talent portion of the contest.

Aw man, Ovi’s so impressed.

“I think there are no questions,” Ovechkin said afterwards. “The young lady did everything properly. She did everything right in her solo number. She chose the correct dress and everything else.”

Later, Ovechkin did another interview with kp.ru. He was asked why Maria Kirilenko did not accompany him to the competition.

“She’s at home,” he said. “She’s preparing for her [tennis] tournaments.”

Ovechkin was then asked why he didn’t accompany her to Wimbledon, like he has in years past.

“There were problems with visa,” Ovechkin began, before pausing and ending the interview. “You are done with your questions.”

Last year, as you’ll recall, Ovechkin was barred from using the Wimbledon gym. He also has a relationship with several Russian leaders who are being sanctioned due to Russia’s actions in Crimea.

Video

Translation by Igor Kleyner.

The post Alex Ovechkin Helps Pick Miss Moscow 2014, Explains Why He’s Around Maria Kirilenko Less appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.


Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko Break Up, End Engagement

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Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko are engaged

Ovechkin and Kirilenko after they got engaged. (Photo: @Ovi8)

This morning, R-Sport announced that Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko have parted ways and ended their engagement. Kirilenko gave an official statement and retweeted R-Sport’s article on Twitter around 10:30 AM.

“I have made a decision to break up our engagement. There are a lot of reasons, but I wouldn’t want to go in detail. I’ll say just that our relationship is over, but I respect Sasha as a person and an athlete and sincerely wish him athletic success in the future.

“I’m currently concentrating on preparing for my tennis tournaments and I hope that soon I’ll be able to please my fans with news about my success as an athlete and not just in my personal life.”

Over the summer, Ovechkin and Kirilenko were not spotted together much. Instead of carrying her bags at Wimbledon like in past years, Ovechkin went to Las Vegas for a week-long trip before the NHL Awards. A few weeks ago, he was the head judge at Miss Moscow 2014 before he traveled to France for some beach time with friends.

Ovechkin and Kirilenko met at the US Open in New York. The cute couple dated for three years and got engaged January 1, 2013.

Translation by RMNB’s Fedor Fedin.

The post Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko Break Up, End Engagement appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Maria Kirilenko Didn’t Break Up With Alex Ovechkin Because of an Instagram Photo

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On Monday, Maria Kirilenko announced through R-Sport that she and Alex Ovechkin were dunzo. “There are a lot of reasons, but I wouldn’t want to go in detail,” Kirilenko said, as translated by Fedor Fedin. “I’ll say just that our relationship is over, but I respect Sasha as a person and an athlete and sincerely wish him athletic success in the future.”

Without sharing those details, the gossip hounds turned to speculation.

Case in point: Ovechkin, who is currently vacationing on a French beach, posed in photos that got published on the internet. One person in those photos was gymnast Karolina Sevastyanova. Sevastyanova was scrutinized in particular for a) being a woman, and b) being near Alex in those photos.

R-Sport, who first broke the break-up news (say that three times fast), later published a nonsensical story, which later got translated by Sport Illustrated’s Allan Muir. That article, entitled Alex Ovechkin dumped by Maria Kirilenko over Instagram photo, was shared widely across social media. Despite the fact that Kirilenko and Ovechkin hadn’t been seen together in weeks, the article made it seem as if the pictures were the scandal that split the couple up.

On Tuesday, Kirilenko shot back in an interview with Sovetsky Sport’s Nikolay Mysin, calling those reports “laughable.” “I made my decision to break up the engagement long before these pictures appeared on the social networks,” Kirilenko said, as translated by RMNB’s Igor Kleyner.

Kirilenko added, “it is not a secret for anybody that Sasha has certain habits and particulars of behavior that I did not consider worth tolerating anymore.”

Her full comments are below.

Maria, can you comment on the story about the pictures with Sasha and [gymnast Karolina Sevastyanova] on social networks, which are being so vigorously discussed in the media?

Maria Kirilenko: Believe me, over the years I have seen so many pictures of Sasha in the company of young ladies, that I have gotten used to it. That is normal. We are public figures, and people often want to take pictures with us. This is the first time I heard about this girl, and I made my decision to break up the engagement long before these pictures appeared on the social networks. It is laughable to point to them as the main reason behind the breakup – after three years together couples do not break up over a couple of pictures. There are much more significant reasons. I will not go into any more details about them. But let’s just say it is not a secret for anybody that Sasha has certain habits and particulars of behavior that I did not consider worth tolerating anymore.

Everybody was a bit surprised when they didn’t see Alexander Ovechkin next to you during the French Open and Wimbledon.

Maria Kirilenko: Why? Sasha has his own schedule. He needed to be present at the NHL Awards ceremony in Las Vegas because he was the top goal scorer of the season again. Also, they won the Worlds recently… Obviously, he was in high demand and we cannot be together all the time.

It’s just that everybody got accustomed to seeing Ovechkin accompany you to the tournaments during the offseason.

Maria Kirilenko: Well, you’ll need to lose that habit then. Because, secondly, Sasha and I are no longer together. That was my decision – to break off our engagement. I do not want to go into specifics, although there are a lot of reasons. I’ll just tell you – I continue to respect him as a person and wish him to continue with his achievements. And I need to focus on my own career.

The post Maria Kirilenko Didn’t Break Up With Alex Ovechkin Because of an Instagram Photo appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Alex Ovechkin Reveals on Instagram He’s Dating Russian Model, Socialite Nastya Shubskaya

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Photo: @aleksandrovechkinofficial

244 days after his engagement to Russian tennis player Maria Kirilenko ended, Alex Ovechkin is dating again. At 4 AM on Sunday morning, Ovechkin posted a photo of himself with Nastya Shubskaya. The caption in Russian reads:

Моя девочка,спасибо что ты появилась в моей жизни !!!очень дорожу тобой❤

According to Igor Kleyner, it says in English, “My girl, thank you for appearing in my life!!! I cherish you so much❤

O rly?

This is the second time in a month Ovechkin has posted a photo with Shubskaya. The previous photo was cropped and included a caption with three emojis. They were all those smiley faces with hearts as eyes, so you know this is super serious.

So who is Shubskaya? After some research, we found out that she is the daughter of a somewhat famous Soviet/Russian movie star, Vera Glagoleva. Glagoleva’s IMDb page shows she’s a veteran of 33 Russian acting roles and has directed five films. She has two other children, Anna and Rodion, from a previous marriage.

Shubskaya’s father Kirill Shubskiy is also a well-known entrepreneur in the shipbuilding industry. The couple gave birth to Shubskaya in 1993 while in Switzerland.

Here is a photo of the whole family together, taken a few months ago.

(Fun fact: this photo was taken at the same restaurant where Ovi took Adam Oates in 2014 when the coach visited Russia.)

Before meeting Ovi, Shubskaya was dating Artem Bolshakov, a Russian residing in New York. Shubskaya graduated from the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography last summer. She’s been in a few Russian movies, one of which was produced by her mother, but nothing since 2008. In the April 2014 Russian edition of Elle Magazine, Shubskaya was named one of the top-ten most eligible bachelorettes in Russia. In the article, Elle referred to Shubskaya, who goes to high society parties, as an aspiring socialite. She also models. Via her Instagram page:

Since splitting up with Ovechkin, Maria Kirilenko got married to Alexei Stepanov, a bureaucrat who formerly sat on the Moscow Committee for Government Services. The couple is expecting their first child this spring.

Additional reporting by Igor Kleyner.

The post Alex Ovechkin Reveals on Instagram He’s Dating Russian Model, Socialite Nastya Shubskaya appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko on the Cover of Washington Life Magazine

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Photo via Washington Life Magazine Facebook page

This doesn’t bring me the same amount of pure joy as Brooks Laich on the cover of Shy Magazine, but I’m still happy to bring you Alex Ovechkin and his fiancee Maria Kirilenko on the February cover of Washington Life Magazine. There is Sasha, wearing some fancy navy suit with a powder blue dress shirt, and his boo Masha, who is definitely wearing a dress (I’ll never be hired by E!), geeking out for the camera.

For the cover story, the crushin’ Russians spoke with former WUSA Sports Anchor and one-time EITM guy Brett Haber about how they first met, how they manage their relationship despite their travel schedules, and– oh yeah– the Olympics.

My favorite part of the article — which can be read online here — is Maria talking about where she sits at Caps games. Plus an update on her ice skating lessons.

Maria has become a fixture at Capitals games an ardent team supporter. She is a frequent invitee to Leonsis’ owner’s suite, but she prfers to sit in the seats at ice-level with Alex’s family. “When he scores he always looks for me and if I’m not there, he might get worried.”

To further demonstrate her commitment to being a hockey spouse, Maria has begun taking skating lessons from Donna Oates, wife of Caps head coach Adam Oates. Asked how she’s coming along, Kirilenko replies, “not good.”

Pick up yourself a copy of the magazine on news stands now!

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Cover photo first tweeted out by @SergeyKocharov. Thanks to RMNB reader Mark H. for the heads up.

The post Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko on the Cover of Washington Life Magazine appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Caps Olympians and Maria Kirilenko Travel to Sochi (Photos)

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Ovi poses with Maria, Artem, and Uncle Pavel. (Photo: @Ovi8)

All five Washington Capital Olympians packed their bags and left for the airport on Sunday. Players were scheduled to catch their NHLPA-arranged flights out of Newark International Airport around noon.

According to Nicklas Backstrom at Saturday’s morning skate, the players would fly directly into Sochi on a ten-hour flight. He was not looking forward to it.

“I’m not even sure it’s going to be exciting the first hour,” Backstrom said on Saturday. “Everyone’s going to be tired. We’ll get as much sleep as we can because when we wake up it will be morning. We need to get into a rhythm right way with [Russian] time.”

On Sunday, Alex Ovechkin, Backstrom, and John Carlson were all spotted by Rich Clune Chere of The Star-Ledger and NJ.com at Newark’s airport.

Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko also tweeted out some photos. Ovi, wearing Nike everything, posted a picture of himself posing with Maria, Pavel Datsyuk, and Artem Anisimov with the caption, “Going to Sochi! We’ll be in our homeland soon!”

https://twitter.com/ovi8/status/432603515652153345

Maria also tweeted out her Sochi ID card.

As well as her and Ovi rubbing their feet together for a pic on the plane.

The post Caps Olympians and Maria Kirilenko Travel to Sochi (Photos) appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Alex Ovechkin in Sochi, Day Two: Doing Press, Watching Figure Skating, Wearing Puffy Jacket

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Photo: @Ovi8

Alex Ovechkin‘s second full day of the Sochi Olympics was another busy one. Like Monday, Ovi did a whole lot of press, speaking with the media in a press conference with Team Russia. Unlike Monday, he actually got to take in the sights as well, attending some figure skating with fiancee Maria Kirilenko and hobnobbing with other Russian sports royalty.

We’ve got your full recap right here.

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Ovi puts on translating headphones. (Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Wilf)

The Russian men’s hockey team gave press time early in the day.

Former Caps beat writer and current NHL.com whiz Corey Masisak was there, getting the cliches straight from the horse’s mouth.

Pumping up the hype to unbearably high levels, Ovechkin restated his intention for the tournament. “I hope we’ll play in the gold medal game,” Ovechkin told sports.ru, as translated by RMNB’s Fedor Fedin. “Our goal is to fight for the gold medals.”

So no surprise there.

Ovechkin then put Sochi in context. “In Turin, I was very young, it was my first big important tournament. In Vancouver, there was a lot of pressure on the whole team, the loss to Canadians was a huge blow.” Is there pressure now? Probably, by the media, but it’s tough to say how we handle it because we’re yet to play a game.”

It’s almost like he’s reading RMNB.

Then someone in the press corps asked a curiously timed question about the willingness of NHL players to participate in the 2018 Olympics to be held in PyeongChang, South Korea. Ovi was surprisingly politic in his response. Linemate Evgeni Malkin was not.

The only real news we got out of the press conference was an affirmation that Pavel Datsyuk should play in the games.

After the event, Ovechkin took this neat pic with Ilya Kovalchuk, Vladislav Tretiak, and Coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov.

After a wardrobe change, Ovechkin met up with fiancee Maria Kirilenko to attend the pairs short program figure skating at Iceberg Skaring Palace.

Photo: Vladimir Pesnya/RIA Novosti

Russian TV cut to Ovi and Maria in the audience a few times during the broadcast, where they were taking photos for excited fans.

Sasha and Masha were sitting with Yana Rudkovskaya, wife of Evgeni Plushenko, the Russian superstar ice skater whom Ovi had recommended as the country’s flag-bearer. At one point, Ovi even took a selfie with Yana’s camera.

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Photo: @rudkovskayaofficial

We should expect one more day of Ovi’s Russian vacation before he gets down to business. Russia’s first game is at 7:30 AM on Thursday morning against Slovenia.

The post Alex Ovechkin in Sochi, Day Two: Doing Press, Watching Figure Skating, Wearing Puffy Jacket appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Love > Sponsorships: Maria Kirilenko Wears Alex Ovechkin Team Russia Jersey to Games

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Photo: @mkirilenko

Since we’re nearing the end of Valentine’s Day, let’s end on something cute, shall we? Thursday, during Russia’s 5-2 win over Slovenia, Alex Ovechkin‘s fiancee, Maria Kirilenko, was watching the game in the stands like normal.

What she was wearing was a bit remarkable though. The day before, the Russian language Sport-Express spoke to Maria and asked her if she’d be wearing an Ovi jersey. She did at Dynamo games. You’d think the answer to this question would be simple, but it’s not when you’re dealing with famous athletes who have big-money equipment deals with even more famous athletic companies.

Will you wear Sbornaya sweater with Ovechkin’s name on it when you are in the stands?

Maria Kirilekno: We have different sponsors [laughs], so I can’t. I’ll be wearing something with a Russian flag, but from my equipment company.

Maria is endorsed by Adidas. Ovi’s endorsed by Nike – the same company that designed the Olympic jerseys.

When Thursday night arrived, however, Masha was shown on Russian TV wearing that very same Ovi Team Russia sweater she said she would not be wearing. Nervously playing with her hair, might I add.

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GIFs by nikkiri

So what gives? I do not know. One thing I do know is that love conquers all — even when it applies to sponsorships.

Ovi and Maria: best)))))))

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Illustration by @avv91

The post Love > Sponsorships: Maria Kirilenko Wears Alex Ovechkin Team Russia Jersey to Games appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.


Maria Kirilenko “Displeased” by Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov’s Video Shoot in the Car

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A very low-res photo of Angry Maria.

When we last shared a motor vehicle with Alex Ovechkin, he was putting his mobile device in Evgeny Kuznetsov‘s face while the prospect drove them to Verizon Center. While we noted that Ovechkin’s video was funny, it was also, ya know, pretty dangerous.

On Sunday, as Ovechkin’s fiancee Maria Kirilenko drove Ovechkin and Kuznetsov back to their Virginia home, the Russian machine whipped out his iPhone and started recording again. Seeing as the Capitals week-long road trip was finally over and five out of six standings points were earned, it probably seemed like a good time for more funny faces.

Who is the person in the Russia hat? Dmitry Orlov, is that you?

Maria, who is normal, was not amused.

Ovechkin: “Masha, why are you so displeased?”

Kirilenko: “Sasha, you are going to drive now. I am going to pull over, and you are going to drive.”

It’s almost like Maria realizes she is carrying two great hockey players and she should therefore concentrate on the road.

Later, Maria responded by posting an Instagram video of her own. No worries, their love is not on the rocks with no ice.

“Oh my God, how all of you became so interested that I can even be dissatisfied. It’s all nonsense, don’t listen to the rumors, look at what my love gave me.”

Later, Ovechkin took a selfie of himself shirtless (of course) in bed with Kirilenko, with the following caption.

Now she happy with new gift from Los Angeles ))haha good night)))) @mkirilenko87 love,i hope u love me to??;) [sic unbelievable]

Aside from the whole world-famous athletes thing, Ovechkin and Kirilenko’s relationship is pretty banal. Immature guy is immature. Immature guy annoys pretty girl. Immature guy buys pretty girl jewelry. Lovers’ quarrel quashed.

Translations by Igor Kleyner.

The post Maria Kirilenko “Displeased” by Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov’s Video Shoot in the Car appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov Go to Washington Wizards Game, Meet Gheorghe Muresan, Wale (Photos)

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Photo: @a0gr8

His mother Tatyana won two Olympic gold medals in basketball for Team Russia, so Alex Ovechkin has always had a love for the sport. He’s gone to Dynamo basketball games. He’s been featured playing basketball (shirtless, of course) with his friends in his DVD. He’s even shot around with BFF Nicky Backstrom during one of Bruce Boudreau’s press conferences.

On Wednesday night, on his day off, Ovechkin took fiancee Maria Kirilenko and his new best bud in the whole wide world, Evgeny Kuznetsov, to the Wizards/Suns game at Verizon Center.

It appears they had fun.

They met everybody’s favorite giant (sorry, Andre), Gheorghe Mureșan.

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They took selfies.

Ovechkin chanted a bit, yelling “defense.”

Then Ted Leonsis came over and made Kuzya change seats with him. Somehow, these are significantly better seats.

The Wizards lost, but here’s the gang posing with Uncle Ted and rapper Wale.

Finally, here’s an outtake photo from Zach Leonsis.

What have we learned? When Ovechkin and Kuznetsov hang out together, they can make anything more interesting — even a Wizards loss. They need a reality TV show or something.

The post Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov Go to Washington Wizards Game, Meet Gheorghe Muresan, Wale (Photos) appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Alex Ovechkin Helps Pick Miss Moscow 2014, Explains Why He’s Around Maria Kirilenko Less

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Photo: ITAR-TASS

On Thursday night, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin returned to the spotlight for the first time since he accepted his fourth Rocket Richard Trophy in Las Vegas. The re-emergence was for good reason.

Ovechkin was the head judge of Miss Moscow 2014. (Hall of famer Pavel Bure was on the panel too.)

“In my opinion everything went very well, very lovely,” Ovechkin said to TV reporter Ivan Obydenkov. “For us, the judges on the panel, it was one hundred percent clear who the winner was.”

The winner, 18-year-old ballet dancer Irina Alekseeva, is an art student from the Moscow College of Fine Arts.

Twenty-eight girls took part in the show. Each one performed two dance numbers and then competed in swimsuit, talent, and evening gown competitions.

Alekseeva ran away with the competition after a stunning ballet number during the talent portion of the contest.

Aw man, Ovi’s so impressed.

“I think there are no questions,” Ovechkin said afterwards. “The young lady did everything properly. She did everything right in her solo number. She chose the correct dress and everything else.”

Later, Ovechkin did another interview with kp.ru. He was asked why Maria Kirilenko did not accompany him to the competition.

“She’s at home,” he said. “She’s preparing for her [tennis] tournaments.”

Ovechkin was then asked why he didn’t accompany her to Wimbledon, like he has in years past.

“There were problems with visa,” Ovechkin began, before pausing and ending the interview. “You are done with your questions.”

Last year, as you’ll recall, Ovechkin was barred from using the Wimbledon gym. He also has a relationship with several Russian leaders who are being sanctioned due to Russia’s actions in Crimea.

Video

Translation by Igor Kleyner.

The post Alex Ovechkin Helps Pick Miss Moscow 2014, Explains Why He’s Around Maria Kirilenko Less appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko Break Up, End Engagement

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Ovechkin and Kirilenko after they got engaged. (Photo: @Ovi8)

This morning, R-Sport announced that Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko have parted ways and ended their engagement. Kirilenko gave an official statement and retweeted R-Sport’s article on Twitter around 10:30 AM.

“I have made a decision to break up our engagement. There are a lot of reasons, but I wouldn’t want to go in detail. I’ll say just that our relationship is over, but I respect Sasha as a person and an athlete and sincerely wish him athletic success in the future.

“I’m currently concentrating on preparing for my tennis tournaments and I hope that soon I’ll be able to please my fans with news about my success as an athlete and not just in my personal life.”

Over the summer, Ovechkin and Kirilenko were not spotted together much. Instead of carrying her bags at Wimbledon like in past years, Ovechkin went to Las Vegas for a week-long trip before the NHL Awards. A few weeks ago, he was the head judge at Miss Moscow 2014 before he traveled to France for some beach time with friends.

Ovechkin and Kirilenko met at the US Open in New York. The cute couple dated for three years and got engaged January 1, 2013.

Translation by RMNB’s Fedor Fedin.

The post Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko Break Up, End Engagement appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Maria Kirilenko Didn’t Break Up With Alex Ovechkin Because of an Instagram Photo

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On Monday, Maria Kirilenko announced through R-Sport that she and Alex Ovechkin were dunzo. “There are a lot of reasons, but I wouldn’t want to go in detail,” Kirilenko said, as translated by Fedor Fedin. “I’ll say just that our relationship is over, but I respect Sasha as a person and an athlete and sincerely wish him athletic success in the future.”

Without sharing those details, the gossip hounds turned to speculation.

Case in point: Ovechkin, who is currently vacationing on a French beach, posed in photos that got published on the internet. One person in those photos was gymnast Karolina Sevastyanova. Sevastyanova was scrutinized in particular for a) being a woman, and b) being near Alex in those photos.

R-Sport, who first broke the break-up news (say that three times fast), later published a nonsensical story, which later got translated by Sport Illustrated’s Allan Muir. That article, entitled Alex Ovechkin dumped by Maria Kirilenko over Instagram photo, was shared widely across social media. Despite the fact that Kirilenko and Ovechkin hadn’t been seen together in weeks, the article made it seem as if the pictures were the scandal that split the couple up.

On Tuesday, Kirilenko shot back in an interview with Sovetsky Sport’s Nikolay Mysin, calling those reports “laughable.” “I made my decision to break up the engagement long before these pictures appeared on the social networks,” Kirilenko said, as translated by RMNB’s Igor Kleyner.

Kirilenko added, “it is not a secret for anybody that Sasha has certain habits and particulars of behavior that I did not consider worth tolerating anymore.”

Her full comments are below.

Maria, can you comment on the story about the pictures with Sasha and [gymnast Karolina Sevastyanova] on social networks, which are being so vigorously discussed in the media?

Maria Kirilenko: Believe me, over the years I have seen so many pictures of Sasha in the company of young ladies, that I have gotten used to it. That is normal. We are public figures, and people often want to take pictures with us. This is the first time I heard about this girl, and I made my decision to break up the engagement long before these pictures appeared on the social networks. It is laughable to point to them as the main reason behind the breakup – after three years together couples do not break up over a couple of pictures. There are much more significant reasons. I will not go into any more details about them. But let’s just say it is not a secret for anybody that Sasha has certain habits and particulars of behavior that I did not consider worth tolerating anymore.

Everybody was a bit surprised when they didn’t see Alexander Ovechkin next to you during the French Open and Wimbledon.

Maria Kirilenko: Why? Sasha has his own schedule. He needed to be present at the NHL Awards ceremony in Las Vegas because he was the top goal scorer of the season again. Also, they won the Worlds recently… Obviously, he was in high demand and we cannot be together all the time.

It’s just that everybody got accustomed to seeing Ovechkin accompany you to the tournaments during the offseason.

Maria Kirilenko: Well, you’ll need to lose that habit then. Because, secondly, Sasha and I are no longer together. That was my decision – to break off our engagement. I do not want to go into specifics, although there are a lot of reasons. I’ll just tell you – I continue to respect him as a person and wish him to continue with his achievements. And I need to focus on my own career.

The post Maria Kirilenko Didn’t Break Up With Alex Ovechkin Because of an Instagram Photo appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Alex Ovechkin Reveals on Instagram He’s Dating Russian Model, Socialite Nastya Shubskaya

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Photo: @aleksandrovechkinofficial

244 days after his engagement to Russian tennis player Maria Kirilenko ended, Alex Ovechkin is dating again. At 4 AM on Sunday morning, Ovechkin posted a photo of himself with Nastya Shubskaya. The caption in Russian reads:

Моя девочка,спасибо что ты появилась в моей жизни !!!очень дорожу тобой❤

According to Igor Kleyner, it says in English, “My girl, thank you for appearing in my life!!! I cherish you so much❤

O rly?

This is the second time in a month Ovechkin has posted a photo with Shubskaya. The previous photo was cropped and included a caption with three emojis. They were all those smiley faces with hearts as eyes, so you know this is super serious.

So who is Shubskaya? After some research, we found out that she is the daughter of a somewhat famous Soviet/Russian movie star, Vera Glagoleva. Glagoleva’s IMDb page shows she’s a veteran of 33 Russian acting roles and has directed five films. She has two other children, Anna and Rodion, from a previous marriage.

Shubskaya’s father Kirill Shubskiy is also a well-known entrepreneur in the shipbuilding industry. The couple gave birth to Shubskaya in 1993 while in Switzerland.

Here is a photo of the whole family together, taken a few months ago.

(Fun fact: this photo was taken at the same restaurant where Ovi took Adam Oates in 2014 when the coach visited Russia.)

Before meeting Ovi, Shubskaya was dating Artem Bolshakov, a Russian residing in New York. Shubskaya graduated from the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography last summer. She’s been in a few Russian movies, one of which was produced by her mother, but nothing since 2008. In the April 2014 Russian edition of Elle Magazine, Shubskaya was named one of the top-ten most eligible bachelorettes in Russia. In the article, Elle referred to Shubskaya, who goes to high society parties, as an aspiring socialite. She also models. Via her Instagram page:

Since splitting up with Ovechkin, Maria Kirilenko got married to Alexei Stepanov, a bureaucrat who formerly sat on the Moscow Committee for Government Services. The couple is expecting their first child this spring.

Additional reporting by Igor Kleyner.

The post Alex Ovechkin Reveals on Instagram He’s Dating Russian Model, Socialite Nastya Shubskaya appeared first on Russian Machine Never Breaks.

You’ll Never Stay at the Hotel Alex Ovechkin is Staying At

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Early this morning, before North America woke up, Alex Ovechkin tweeted out a photo of Maria Kirilenko and himself. “The best vacation in the world!!,” the message read with typical ovithusiasm. “#MardanPalace thx u !!!president room))hahaha [sic unbelievable]”

As RMNB’s Senior Vacation Reporter, my mind was filled with questions like where is Mardan Palace? What is the President’s Room like? And is that chair literally made out of gold?

(Please play before continuing.)

The Mardan Palace is a 7-star luxury hotel in Lara, Antalya, Turkey, built by Azerbaijani businessman Telman Ismailov. Wikipedia tells me that Mardan is considered Europe’s and the Mediterranean’s most expensive luxury resort. I didn’t even know the scale went up to 7 stars.

The palatial palace cost $1.4 billion to build, which would take Ovi 140 years to earn on his salary. The hotel has 560 rooms, a gigantic gym, and its own beach containing 9,000 tons of sand imported from — yup, you guessed it – The Moon Egypt. 10,000 meters of gold, 500,000 crystals, 23,000 meters of Italian marble were used in the construction of the hotel. All that for 1 Russian machine.

Then there’s the spa. Gary Edwards of The awful Daily Mail explains his experience:

The spa was so large, I lost [my wife] there one afternoon. She had a VIP card that allowed her access — through a secret path hidden by a wall of water — to a sumptuous inner sanctum, which included a private bar, rooms, beds and Jacuzzis.

Maria’s gotta love that.

The Mardan Palace started taking bookings on May 23, 2009, and the grand opening was attended by celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Sharon Stone, Richard Gere, Monica Bellucci, Paris Hilton, Seal, and Tom freaking Jones.

There are four presidential suite rooms (1 Anatolian style and 3 European style) in the entire hotel and they are the most luxurious and expensive rooms to stay in. Here’s a 360-degree tour of the Anatolian style room.

The Anatolian President’s Suite has two rooms, including a living room with sofa, pool table, bar, pool for 8 people, king size bed, fitness center with a sauna, Turkish bath, toilet, terrace with whirlpool, and a beautiful panoramic view. It’s 238-square meters of living space. The European Presidents are similar, just slightly smaller.

Why Turkey? Fedor Fedin says many Russians travel there for vacation. It is somewhat close to home, but far enough out of the country to keep travel expenses low and privacy high. As a cultural gateway between the east and west, many people there speak Russian, and the climate’s warm (think Florida but with less Creed), and the country is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea.

So yeah, Ovechkin’s living it up. It’s reassuring to know that, should Washington’s most valuable asset tire his legs from climbing the social ladder, there will be 136 masseuses waiting to massage the soreness right out of him.

Photos, Because Duh

(Photos via aquatravel.ro)

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Maria Kirilenko Shows Where She and Alex Ovechkin First Met (Photo)

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Photo credit: @mkirilenko

Way back in September of 2011, Alex Ovechkin was in New York City for a preseason press junket with a bunch of other NHL stars. I’m sure you remember the event: Ovi wore a Nike t-shirt (an unsightly one at that) to what was basically a Versace event.

Ovechkin was still given the royal treatment anyway, landing free tickets to the US Open. Ovechkin had never been to a tennis match, but something deep inside Ovi’s considerable core must have told him he should go.

“Destiny,” Ovechkin later said of that very important decision to Sports Illustrated’s Sarah Kwak. “I believe in destiny.”

Kwak explains what happened next in her feature for SI.

Ovechkin wandered over to a practice court where Maria Kirilenko was warming up with her doubles partner, Nadia Petrova. They were fellow Russians, so Ovechkin struck up an easy conversation. He insists he wasn’t nervous about approaching the blonde beauty, but Kirilenko thinks he was, a little. “When are you guys playing?” he finally asked.

And so Ovechkin sat in the grandstand at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and watched the women’s doubles semifinal. (Kirilenko and Petrova lost to Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova 6–7, 6–2, 3–6.) He and Kirilenko exchanged numbers, untroubled by the inconvenience of living thousands of miles and an ocean apart—he in D.C., she in Moscow.

“Our connection was over the phone, over Skype,” Kirilenko said last Thursday in Russian through SI reporter Anastassia Smorodinskaya. “For a long time we didn’t actually see each other, but even with the distance between us, it felt like we had known each other for a long time.”

A little under two years later, the two got engaged while celebrating the new year in Russia.

On Sunday, Maria tweeted out a photo of where her and Ovi first met: at practice court 5 in Flushing Meadows with doubles teammate Nadia Petrova.

Too cute.

Alex Ovechkin Feeds Tiramisu to Host on Russian Late Night Show, Talks Engagement to Maria Kirilenko

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On Friday (but taped on Tuesday), Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin appeared on Russian Channel One’s late night show, Evening Urgant. Hosted by popular comedian (and actor and musician) Ivan Urgant, the show — which closely resembles Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno — features jokes and skits from Urgant, celebrity interviews, and musical guests.

The Russian machine, making his first appearance on a late-night show in his career, spoke about the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi and revealed more about his engagement to Maria Kirilenko. For example: Ovi allowed her to pick out a ring before he took the plunge. “So, she chose the ring,” Ovechkin explained. “I never said that I’m gonna propose on that day. Just pick a ring. I’ll think about if I’ll buy it or not.”

Ovechkin participated in skits as well. Ovi used a hockey stick (with a spoon taped to the blade) to feed Urgant tiramisu pie. “The stick may not only be a weapon,” Urgant joked. The interview continued while they fed each other. Wacky.

Video of Ovechkin’s Full Appearance

Ovechkin feeds Urgant pie at 37:40.

GIFs

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Created by welshhockeyfan. View more GIFs of Ovi’s appearance.

Ovechkin also appeared at the beginning of the broadcast to help make a joke about circumcision.

measuring-sticks

[Ovi and Urgant measure sticks.]

Ivan Urgant: Your [stick] is longer.
Alex Ovechkin: Yours is cut.

[awkward pause]

Ivan Urgant: Oh yeah, the stick.

During Ovechkin’s interview (23:50 in the video), he talked about how he spent his summer and his relationship with Maria Kirilenko.

Ivan Urgant: How did you, a winter sport player, spend your summer?
Alex Ovechkin: I was resting, traveling to different countries. Tennis countries.

Ivan Urgant: The question arises whether you traveled alone, Sasha.
Alex Ovechkin: Nope, we had a big team. There were three people. (Laughs.)

Ivan Urgant: I was expecting you to say that you traveled with Masha Kirilenko. Who was on the team?
Alex Ovechkin: Her father, personal coach, Masha, and me.

Ivan Urgant: Am I right that her father and personal coach have to travel because Masha has to practice?
Alex Ovechkin: Sure. Her father is her coach, in fact. Same person.

Ivan Urgant: Alright. Most importantly, does Masha know he is?
Alex Ovechkin: Sure.

Ivan Urgant: It would’ve been quite the surprise. “I am yout father, Masha”. I wated to know, where you were?
Alex Ovechkin: In France, in London.

Ivan Urgant: It’s in…
Alex Ovechkin: Europe.

Ivan Urgant: Are you testing my geography knowledge?
Alex Ovechkin: You better not test mine.

Ivan Urgant: I’m not gonna do it.
Alex Ovechkin: That’s right.

Ivan Urgant: But have you been to the beaches this summer?
Alex Ovechkin: Sure, we were in Turkey. I’m on vacation, but it’s in a midst of a season for her. We found time and went to Turkey with friends.

Ivan Urgant: How do the people like you, real men, not only looking like real men, but also act like real men, in sports, in life, how did you propose? How did it happen?
Alex Ovechkin: When you said “people like you”, I thought “that’s it, we’re getting carried away”, but it went OK here, you turned.

Ivan Urgant: Usually when people say “people like you” to me, I think “that’s it, we’re getting carried away, I should’ve not worn bow tie today”. So, how did you propose?
Alex Ovechkin: It was at the New Year’s, we were at the dacha, my family, her family, my friends all came together, we were celebrating the New Year. Right as the striking clock sounded, well not exactly at that moment, but we’ve gone upstairs at our room, I fell on one knee and proposed like a gentleman.

Ivan Urgant: Were you anxious?
Alex Ovechkin: Sure, I was losing my freedom.

Ivan Urgant: Oh, in that sense. (Everyone laughs.)

[Co-host Alexander Oleynikov chimes in:]

Alexander Oleynikov: Sasha, are you aware that after those news, the engagement news, you took away all motivation from women’s Russian national hockey team to play? No one knows why the girls should play now.
Alex Ovechkin: For Russia, not for me.

Ivan Urgant: So, Sasha [Oleynikov], you suppose that if girls go play hockey they hope to meet boys from hockey someday? Do you think it works like that?
Alexander Oleynikov: Why else?

Alex Ovechkin: We do meet at the Olympic village, right?
Ivan Urgant: Everyone meets at the Olympic village.

Alex Ovechkin: Get to know each other…
Alexander Oleynikov: Marry…

Ivan Urgant: That’s a slogan: “Olympic village. We meet.” So you chose the ring, those were some special words.
Alex Ovechkin: Well, she chose the ring.

Ivan Urgant: So she knew.
Alex Ovechkin: Of course she did (audience laughs). Well, wait, it’s not all that bad here.
Ivan Urgant: We think it’s all very good here. You’re the first one to talk about the magic process of engagement on our show. Thanks for that.

Alex Ovechkin: I like to be the first.
[…] Alex Ovechkin: So, she chose the ring. I never said that I’m gonna propose on that day. Just pick a ring. I’ll think about if I’ll buy it or not.

Ivan Urgant: That’s important. How long were you thinking to buy it or not. Were you surprised by the ring?
Alex Ovechkin: My good friend made it so it was okay. You need to have people everywhere.

Finally, Ovechkin also gave Urgant a present (36:09 of the video): a white Russian Olympic jersey. To return the favor, Urgant played a video he made for him. It’s a photo from RMNB where Ovi’s teeth animate along with organ music.

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Additional reporting by Ian Oland.

Troy Brouwer: Alex Ovechkin Will Invite the Entire Team to His Wedding Next Summer

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Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is getting married to Maria Kirilenko. We know that; there’s a ring. But what about the date? Up until now, there has been nothing but speculation and rumors. Some of those rumors, to Ovi’s bemusement, implied that he had allegedly cancelled or postponed the wedding. A few days ago Ovechkin promised Sovetsky Sport’s Pavel Lysenkov a call as soon as the date is set.

Enter Troy Brouwer, who spoke to another Sovetsky Sport reporter, Leonid Varshavsky, on Tuesday.

Brouwer was asked if he’d ever been to Russia.

Not yet. But I hope to go there next summer. Because Sasha has his wedding, and he promised to invite the whole team. Not sure everybody would be able to make it, but I think I will be able to see Moscow.

The whole Caps team at Ovi’s wedding? Glorious, untold pixels. Can’t wait.

Thanks to TJ for first tweeting.

Caps Fans Dress Up As Alex Ovechkin And Maria Kirilenko For Halloween (Photos)

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College sweethearts Mick Klock and Haley Buckheit are huge Washington Capitals fans. Their first real date was Game One of the Caps/Rangers playoff series last year. Mick was already a huge fan of the sport, and after that night Haley was one too.

Since then, the couple, who both live in Pennsylvania, have come down to D.C. for Caps games and bought a partial season ticket plan with the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears.

Mick and Haley wanted to have a couple’s Halloween costume, preferably one that honored their favorite team. They decided to dress up as supercouple Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko. Their costumes are perfect from the blacked-out tooth to the tennis racket.

Mick tells me he dropped north of $500 to get the costumes. “I play ice hockey on a team that has Toronto colors, so I justified my purchases based on the fact that I will actually use the hockey gear this season.” That also explains the choice of Dynamo blue instead of Caps red.

Cheapest part of the costume? $1 for the tooth black.

Haley’s tennis costume cost a pretty penny as well. “Maria wears a lot of Adidas, so Haley tried to stay true to that,” Mick explained. “Her skirt, shirt, and tennis jacket cost a bunch too.”

Mick and Haley have gotten positive feedback since posting the photos on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram profiles. “Our friends love the costumes,” Mick exclaimed. “I’ve been getting comments from people I haven’t talked to in years saying how awesome the idea is.”

Mick says meeting Ovechkin one day would be a dream, something he’s already put on his bucket list. Tonight, however, when he and Haley go out trick or treating, they risk defrauding people who might think they are actually hockey’s gr8est couple.

“Hopefully, Alex and Maria see our costumes on Twitter and get a good laugh,” Mick concluded.

I hope they do too. Stay perfect, you two.

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Maria Kirilenko Talks About Alex Ovechkin, Wedding Dresses, and The Last Time She Went Fishing

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Maria at the Caps game last Tuesday. (Photo via maria-kirilenko)

Alex Ovechkin’s main squeeze is a big deal. Maria Kirilenko is ranked 19th in the world in women’s singles tennis. Like her fiance, she is a serious competitor and a world traveler– playing tournaments all around the globe every year. Alex and Maria have a lot in common– except for location. In a recent interview with Glamour Magazine, Kirilenko details how she and Ovi keep in touch when they’re apart (it involves selfies) and how she manages her competitive spirit.

I have your translation below.

You became a pro when you were just 15 years old. Did it affect your sense of self? Did it make you feel more grownup?

Unquestionably, when you work a lot, travel around many countries, you grow up early, gain experience much faster than any other teenager, who is spending the time at home with computer while his parents are fussing around him.

But you are also often accompanied to tournaments by your dad. Maybe you are still a child as well?

You know, ever since childhood I tried to solve my own little problems by myself, in preschool I always was looking after the kids – even though I could not really do anything yet. And then I went on travel with my team for the first time when I was eight years old. Imagine: you have to do your laundry by yourself, you have to comb your hair by yourself, you have to eat by yourself. Everything by yourself, since childhood. Then later my mom and dad started travelling with me. Now, of course, my family’s support is important to me. If I am playing by myself, it is difficult psychologically. For example, there was a situation, when my dad didn’t get his visa on time, so I had to go to a tournament by myself. The first match was extremely difficult, and I really wanted my dad to join me as soon as possible.

You started in ballet, then ballroom dancing, then tennis. Was all this practicing wearing on you?

This is how I recall it: whatever I came up with, I’d do and I would get it done. I do not remember a single day when I would wake up and think: “No, I am tired, I don’t want [to do it] anymore”. I am a disciplined person: I open my eyes and get up, never lay around in bed. I always kept an eye on myself, never any pants with drooping knees or sagging tights. Ii is just something natural for me. And probably my parents’ example.

You started making money earlier than your peers. How did you spend your first prize money?

That’s when I won The US Open [junior], and got a chance to play in the adult tournament. Well, how much did they pay me… about three thousand dollars. When you make money for the first time, it is a significant amount, of course. But I gave my first prize money to charity. The Nord-Ost siege happened just then, so I gave the money to the victims of that terrorist act.

It’s a noble deed. I didn’t know about that.

Very few knew anything about it.

Maria, do you have other tennis players as friends? Sometimes you play doubles.

There are no friends on the court. Yes, we all know each other well, played with each other a hundred times, yes we are acquaintances, but we are not close to each other.

WTA tournaments are held in all of the biggest cities of the world. Where is your favorite shopping spot?

Yes, all of the tournaments are held in major cities – Paris, London, Melbourn, Rome. So if you follow the same route for ten years, you know all the god places to walk or find something beautiful. But I like Moscow the best – and it’s not just shopping. When you are abroad all the time, you want to be home.

How do you take care of yourself? You are forced to spend so much time in the sun.

90% of all the tournaments are held in mercilessly sunny conditions, so tennis players tend to age early. Especially girls from countries like Argentina or Italy – they seem to be so young, but looking older than their age. But I try to look after myself, use sunscreen. Also, my skin is quite dry, so I use moisturizer, regular one.

Do you have any pre-match rituals?

Sometime I have a good match, and subconsciously, I try to repeat what happened – go to the same restaurant, order the same food. Although it is all nonsense. You must count on yourself and not get hung up on some rituals and superstitions.

Is it true you like fishing? Isn’t it boring?

I haven’t been fishing in a while. I should find time and do it! I went fishing for the first time when I was 13-15 years old. We had a training camp in Croatia, the sea was very close to our training facility, so in our free time we borrowed some fishing rods from a friend and went fishing. That’s when I caught my first fish, and I really liked it. When the fish bites all the time – it’s fun. But a couple of times we fished from a boat, and we didn’t catch anything at all. That is not as much fun.

How do you and Alex Ovechkin find time for each other? Do you put dates on your sporting calendar?

To an observer it may seem very difficult, but in reality we see each other often. When Sasha is on break, he always goes with me everywhere, even the tournaments. And when he is playing, I try to go and see him after my tournaments.

Do you find each other interesting? You are both athletes, you have a lot in common…

Oh no, it helps us, brings us closer – we understand each other very well. two athletes, especially two talented athletes – how can that be a problem?

You have announced your engagement, but have you given a thought to your wedding dress?

I have some ideas. The dress has to be feminine, elegant. When I was a child, I thought about Cinderella’s dresses, the jewelry and glitter, but when you grow up, you start thinking about it in simpler terms. The dress just has to be incredibly beautiful – that’s all.

It will be difficult for you to make the choice without getting Alex’s advice, won’t it?

Yes, we always write to each other and send pictures. He is very busy right now, but I already sent him a picture from the studio.

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Photo credit: Glamour Magazine

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