Wednesday morning, it was reported out of Russia that Minnesota Wild superstar, Kirill Kaprizov, had fled to the United States. According to the Sport-Express report (via Google Translate), the 25-year-old Russian winger is wanted on suspicions of buying a ‘military ticket’ in 2017.
Russian hockey player “Minnesota” Kirill Kaprizov is wanted in the case of buying a military ticket, according to the SHOT Telegram channel. According to the source, on June 26, Kaprizov flew to Russia. The publication notes that he could have purchased a military ID while playing for Salavat Yulaev. – Sport-Express.ru
As it became known to SE, Minnesota striker Kirill Kaprizov returned to the United States from Russia, where he was on vacation, more than three months before the start of the NHL season. According to our information, the 25-year-old hockey player decided to leave the country after the situation with Ivan Fedotov, who was sent to the military unit of Severodvinsk to serve – Sport-Express.ru
The Charges
At face value, the charges look like a front for the Kremlin to arrest prominent Russian hockey players. Kaprizov wasn’t about to wait for Putin to come find him, though. Not after fellow Russian hockey player, Ivan Fedotov, was arrested and sentenced to one year of labor for, what I understand as, evading military service.
Unfortunately, we do not know what in this Russian report is accurate and what is not. According to Michael Russo (The Athletic), Kirill is not back in the states. We’ll update this post with any further information.
Regarding reports that Kirill Kaprizov is wanted in Russia for allegedly buying a military ID in 2017 and has returned to the United States, a #mnwild source says he is not in the U.S. Obviously this is a complicated story and I'm working to see if there's merit.
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) July 6, 2022
Father Denies Charges
Kirill Kaprizov’s father has supposedly gone on record and denied any claims that his son purchased his way out of the Russian military. Going back to his homeland was seen by some as a dangerous endeavor, for Kaprizov. It only took weeks for them to be proven right.
“We don’t have a military ID. Cyril is studying now, he is a student, ” said Kaprizov’s father to SE. – Sport-Express.ru
Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan