'I'm Russian, and I support my country,' Ovechkin says after appearing in campaign ad for Putin's party
"I'm Russian, and I support my country. So, as I said, I'm for peace and love," Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin said after appearing in a campaign ad for the United Russia party.
Russian NHL player Alexander Ovechkin, who has been a member of the Washington Capitals since 2005, expressed his support for Russia on September 17. He appeared in a campaign advertisement for Russia's ruling political party, United Russia, alongside prominent Kremlin officials such as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Ovechkin stated, "I'm Russian, and I support my country. As I said, I'm for peace and love. I hope everybody understands everybody wants peace, and I hope everything's going to be okay in the world."
The video in which Ovechkin participated was released ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18. United Russia, the political entity effectively controlled by President Vladimir Putin, has been advocating for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Ovechkin clarified that his stance is rooted in his Russian nationality, stating, "As soon as I'm done playing hockey, I'm probably going to stay there. I'm going to live there. My kids are going to live there."
The controversy surrounding Ovechkin's involvement escalated when Republican Representative Joe Wilson criticized him in a letter to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and on social media platform X. Wilson highlighted the inclusion of Maria Lvova-Belova, who is under an International Criminal Court warrant for her alleged role in the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territory.
In response to the situation, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze declared Ovechkin and Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev as persona non grata, barring them from entering Latvia indefinitely.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
