Dose – Page 10 – BIG Admin

The 2024-2025 season wasn’t all plain sailing for the Montreal Canadiens’ new crown jewel, Ivan Demidov.

The youngster spent most of the year at home in Russia, working off the last of his contract with the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg. He then played in the playoffs with his team, having been eliminated early in the first round.

The fifth overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft flew to Montreal after the playoffs on the other continent, crossing the globe to make the jump to North America last April. And that’s not forgetting Demidov’s baptism on the Bettman circuit, both in the regular season and in the playoffs. So, let’s face it, he’s had quite an eventful few weeks.

Many thought he’d be heading home to Russia to rest up, but he doesn’t seem to have any plans to return for the time being.

With this in mind, he has decided to take a break in the warm southern sun, under the terms of the 2024-2025 calendar, by treating himself to a little trip with his girlfriend Katya.

In fact, the dashing lovebirds recently shared a photo on social networks, to share their current travel dynamic, as they flew to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

Ivan Demidov & his GF Katya on vacation in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 🏖️ pic.twitter.com/xMUgKOxCRC

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) May 10, 2025

A great way to celebrate his brand-new contract (and life) with the Habs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Russia for a four-day trip to mark Victory Day commemorations. He is also due to hold talks with Vladimir Putin, and the two leaders are expected to sign several cooperation agreements.

Xi’s visit comes as Moscow shows little sign of moving towards peace in Ukraine, while Kiev has launched a series of drone attacks on the Russian capital.

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In the days leading up to Friday’s Victory Day parade, the two presidents will seek to further strengthen their cooperation, which has intensified since the start of the conflict in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine accuses President Xi Jinping of sending Chinese citizens to fight for Russia on Ukrainian soil, while it has been announced that a Chinese People’s Liberation Army honor guard will take part in Friday’s ceremony.

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Volodymyr Zelensky issued a warning to the 30 or so dignitaries expected by Vladimir Putin, saying: «Our position is very simple for all countries planning to go or already heading to Russia on May 9: we cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation. They [Russia] are the ones providing security, and therefore, we will not offer any guarantees».

According to The Guardian, this statement comes at a time when Ukraine has launched a series of drone attacks against Russia, targeting Moscow and causing major disruption at airports in the region, prompting some dignitaries to change their itinerary.

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Vladimir Putin had announced a three-day pause in the attacks against Ukraine, from May 8 to 10, to coincide with the celebrations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected this proposal, arguing that three days was not enough time for genuine peace talks.

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He declared that he did not trust Moscow and specified that a ceasefire of at least 30 days would be necessary to start serious talks, failing which Ukraine would not consider any truce.