Russian athletes like Andrey Rublev and Alex Ovechkin speak out against war with Ukraine

Russian athletes are promoting an anti-war message after the invasion of Ukraine, including one of Vladimir Putin's most visible supporters. Key points: NHL star Alex Ovechkin has been a supporter of Vladimir Putin in the past but said "we have to live in peace" Andrey Rublev wrote "No war please" on a TV camera, a week after winning a doubles tennis title with Ukrainian Denys Molachov Russia has been removed from the F1 schedule, bringing the 2022 calendar down from what would have been a record 23-race season Tennis and ice hockey are among the biggest sports in the country, and some of Russia's biggest stars in both have spoken out against the war that started when President Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine. Tennis player Andrey Rublev wrote "No war please" on a TV camera moments after reaching the final of the Dubai Championships. Rublev also won the doubles at the Marseille Open last week, playing alongside Ukrainian Denys Molchanov, which Medvedev said "was amazing, because people need to stay together". Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel told a news conference he would not take part in the Russian Grand Prix if it went ahead, while world champion Max Verstappen also said racing in a country at war was "not correct".