NHL Star Alex Ovechkin Appears in Campaign Ad for Putin’s United Russia Party

(Screengrab via X)

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has appeared in a campaign advertisement for President Vladimir Putin’s ruling United Russia party ahead of the country’s elections next week.

Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading goalscorer, was pictured in campaign material alongside some of the Kremlin’s most prominent supporters as Russia heads toward parliamentary elections.

The Guardian reported that Russian business newspaper Vedomosti first published images from the campaign featuring the 40-year-old Capitals captain alongside Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the leading parliamentary candidate on United Russia’s party list, and Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the state-controlled RT network.

Ovechkin later appeared in a campaign ad that has since gone viral, alongside Lavrov.

In the video, Lavrov warns that “those who come at us with a sword” should “expect no mercy,” but those who deal with Russia “honestly” will be met with “agreement.”

Ovechkin has openly supported Putin for years, although public comments became more guarded following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

When asked about the war shortly after the invasion began, Ovechkin said he hoped it “was going to be over and we are going to be living in a good world” and repeated that Putin remained “my president.”

Ovechkin’s appearance in the United Russia campaign comes as he prepares for another season in Washington after signing a one-year contract extension in July with the Capitals, which he has spent his entire NHL career playing for.

He made hockey history in 2025 when he scored his 895th regular-season goal, surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s record.

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