Ovechkin Appears in Pro-Putin Campaign Advertisement
AI-generated image · US National Wire
The Washington Capitals star and NHL's all-time leading goalscorer is featured in promotional materials for the United Russia party.
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has appeared in a campaign advertisement for the United Russia party, which supports Russian leader Vladimir Putin, according to reporting from The Guardian.
Images published by the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti show the NHL's all-time leading goalscorer alongside several pro-Putin figures. These include Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the RT propaganda network, and Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister and the leading parliamentary candidate for the United Russia party.
Ovechkin, 40, has a documented history of supporting Putin. The Guardian reports that in 2017, Ovechkin established a social movement called Putin Team, intended to bring together individuals who wanted to make Russia stronger and felt pride in their country. He has previously praised Putin's righteousness, fairness, and his respect for the Russian people.
Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, Ovechkin expressed a desire for the war to end so the world could be "good," while maintaining that Putin remained "my president."
On the ice, Ovechkin continues to be a central figure for the Capitals, the team that drafted him first overall in 2004. In July, he signed a one-year contract extension. He currently holds the record for the most goals in NHL history, having surpassed Wayne Gretzky's long-standing mark in 2025 with his 895th goal.