Alex Ovechkin says he is ‘not in politics’ after appearing in United Russia video taped in Russia ahead of parliamentary elections
Alexander Ovechkin appeared in a video for United Russia that was taped in Russia ahead of parliamentary elections and addressed reporters about the clip on Thursday. He told reporters he is “not in politics” while also saying “I’m Russian” and declaring “I’m for peace and love, and I hope, in the world, it doesn’t matter who you are.”
Reporters first sought Ovechkin’s views when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and his proximity to Vladimir Putin has long been public: years earlier he boosted the Russian president in a social media campaign and used a picture of Putin as his Instagram profile photo. At that earlier moment Ovechkin said, “He is my president” and “But [like] I said, I’m not in politics, I’m an athlete.” He is the Washington Capitals captain, has spent his entire NHL career in the city, led the franchise to its first and only Stanley Cup and has become the sport’s greatest goalscorer.
The United Russia video features Ovechkin alongside Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan and others, footage recorded ahead of the parliamentary vote. In comments to reporters about the campaign Ovechkin said, “I hope everybody understands everybody wants peace, and everybody hope everything’s going to be OK in the world.”
A day before his media appearance the Capitals issued a public statement addressing his participation, saying in full: “Alex Ovechkin is a Russian citizen who lives in Moscow with his family during the offseason and will live there following his retirement. This summer, while in Russia, he was asked by his country to participate in a video campaign. As the longest-tenured athlete in Washington, DC and a pillar of the community, his focus and ours is on the season ahead and the continued impact he makes on the ice and in our city.”
The video’s release came amid wider developments: an indictment unsealed Tuesday accused five men of being part of a network planning to assassinate Russian dissidents and others on US soil, including one who reportedly lived in Washington. Former NHL goaltender Dominik Hasek criticized the Capitals’ wording on X, writing: “This statement ignores the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Ukrainians and Russians killed or maimed – casualties for which Ovechkin bears a significant share of responsibility through his public stance.”
At a crowded scrum Ovechkin moved quickly from the political questions back to hockey, saying, “All right, let’s do hockey questions.” When a reporter wished him “Happy birthday” and asked if he had cake, Ovechkin replied he was on a diet and the group laughed; no reporter pressed him further at that moment. Later, when an ESPN reporter pursued the United Russia video and the invasion, Ovechkin said he is “not in politics” and “can’t say who’s right and who’s wrong” before abruptly ending the interview.
The situation has left fans and commentators to continue raising questions about his public stance and the team’s response; the article argues that if Ovechkin, the Capitals and the league want accountability they must accept that supporters and the media will keep asking those questions rather than treating the issue as neutral.