Alex Ovechkin faced questions at Washington Capitals media day after appearing in a Russian political advertisement tied to President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, saying he accepted the request from his government and did not expect the response it generated. The Capitals captain said he is “not pro-war,” while also saying he supports Russia and cannot judge who is right or wrong in the invasion of Ukraine.
Key takeaways
- Ovechkin said he recorded the United Russia campaign spot about three weeks before speaking at Capitals media day.
- The 40-year-old forward said he did not notify Washington about the video before signing his one-year, $4.25 million extension on July 2.
- Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina urged the NHL to weigh a ban over Ovechkin’s participation in the campaign.
- Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said the controversy would not change Ovechkin’s standing as Washington’s captain.
- The ad places Ovechkin alongside Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other supporters of Putin’s party.
Ovechkin addresses the political video
Ovechkin initially handled the subject in a low voice before attempting to move the room back to hockey. He later expanded on his decision, saying he agreed to take part when approached by the Russian government.
“I want the peace and love for everybody,” Ovechkin said. “It doesn’t matter who you are, American, Russian or Ukrainian. I hope everything’s gonna be good and everything’s gonna be done soon and we have peace and love in the world.”
When asked how he viewed his role in a spot whose message echoes Kremlin claims about the war, Ovechkin said he was not supporting war. He said he backs “what’s happening in Russia” and wants the conflict to end quickly.
On Russia’s invasion, he said politics were outside his lane and that he could not determine which side was right. Ovechkin also said he would stand by his home country regardless.
The commercial began airing in Russia earlier this month. Ovechkin is shown in a black polo among a group of United Russia supporters while Lavrov delivers a speech warning that anyone approaching Russia “with a sword” should expect no mercy. The minister’s remarks frame Russia as under threat, a central theme of state messaging that shifts responsibility for the war onto Ukraine and outside forces.
More than 30 supporters appear across the campaign series. One group image also includes Maria Lvova-Belova, a Russian official linked to the transfer and so-called re-education of Ukrainian children. In a televised meeting with Putin, Lvova-Belova said she had personally taken a boy from Mariupol. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for her in 2023.
Russia’s military action in Ukraine began in 2014 and grew into a full-scale invasion in 2022. The war has produced more than one million military and civilian casualties. Ukrainian authorities have accused Russian forces of killing over 17,000 Ukrainian civilians, including more than 700 children.
Asked about claims that Russia has committed genocide in Ukraine, Ovechkin responded, “I hope it’s not gonna, it’s not gonna be like that,” before a Capitals media relations representative ended the interview.
Capitals support their captain as criticism builds
Wilson’s letter to the league argued that Ovechkin’s role in campaign material for Putin’s party raises questions because he is the captain of an NHL club based in the U.S. capital. The NHL did not provide a response, and the Capitals declined further questions about the video or access to owner Ted Leonsis.
Washington had previously said Ovechkin is a Russian citizen who spends the offseason in Moscow with his family and expects to live there after his playing career. The club said its attention remains on the upcoming season and Ovechkin’s impact on the ice and in the Washington community.
Carbery said his own relationship with Ovechkin had not changed. The coach said he had not watched the video, but called the captain an important part of the club and praised the work Ovechkin has done during his time behind the Capitals bench.
“I know him as good as anybody inside this organization, and I know what he’s all about,” Carbery said. “He’s done an amazing job in my time here. I love him, I love his family, and he’s a big part of our team.”
Ovechkin signed what is expected to be his final Washington contract on July 2, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $4.25 million. The Moscow-born winger passed Wayne Gretzky for the NHL’s career goals record in April 2025.
His public association with Putin predates this campaign. Ovechkin’s Instagram profile photo includes Putin, and he promoted the “Putin Team” initiative in 2017, a youth-oriented effort supporting the Russian president. During the first phase of Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014, he posted an image holding a “Save Children From Fascism” sign, language that mirrored Kremlin claims. Ovechkin later said that post was not intended as a political statement.
Capitals officials and people close to Ovechkin have previously suggested he faced pressure because his family lives in Russia. After the full-scale invasion began in 2022, then-general manager Brian MacLellan said Russian players had to consider what they could safely say and the possible consequences at home. MacLellan said Ovechkin was receiving pressure from North America, Russia and his family.
Critics reject that explanation, arguing that Ovechkin’s repeated public ties to Putin go beyond private pressure. They also view his presence beside Lavrov as valuable to a Kremlin seeking international credibility through one of the country’s most recognizable athletes.
The NHL took a different posture toward Russian players in 2022, when international sports bodies imposed restrictions on Russian athletes. The league said its Russian players were in an exceptionally difficult situation and represented their NHL teams rather than Russia.
Few Russian NHL players have openly criticized the Putin government. Artemi Panarin, then with the New York Rangers, was among the most outspoken in 2022, condemning political corruption in Russia and saying Putin had lost his sense of right and wrong.
For Ovechkin, the hockey calendar now moves on from media-day questions to another Capitals season. But his participation in the United Russia advertisement has put fresh attention on the collision between his record-setting NHL career and his longstanding public connection to the Russian government.
