NHL superstar Ovechkin ‘was asked’ to film Putin ad, team says

Russian sports icon joins prominent domestic figures promoting the ruling United Russia party ahead of elections.Published On 17 Sep 202617 Sep 2026The Washington Capitals ice hockey team has deflected criticism of star Alex Ovechkin’s appearance in a campaign video for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.A spokesperson for the Capitals said that their National Hockey League (NHL) record-setting goal scorer had been “asked by his country to participate”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Efforts underway for Zelenskyy-Trump meeting at UN next weeklist 2 of 3US removes Venezuela from drug list, Trump sayslist 3 of 3Rescue workers search for survivors after Gaza building collapseend of listOvechkin, a longtime Putin supporter who spends his offseasons in Moscow, is among a group of prominent Russians shown in a campaign video for the ruling United Russia party ahead of nationwide elections this week.The statement added: “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 im...