Russia this weekend holds its first parliamentary elections since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Read more Pennsylvania teen died of ‘rare and severe’ complication of measles, coroner says
Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin appeared in a campaign video for United Russia, the country’s governing party, which supports President Vladimir Putin — using his National Hockey League star power to endorse the political forces responsible for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russia this weekend is holding its first national parliamentary election since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In the video, Ovechkin stands behind Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who reads a few rhyming lines, saying, “Whoever comes at us with the sword shall not expect mercy … let us all stand united as one.”
Ovechkin is a longtime Putin supporter, and Russian authorities have repeatedly leaned on his fame, as a champion Russian athlete widely known in the United States, for their own domestic propaganda purposes.
Read more Trump has failed to restrict voting by mail
Ovechkin, who has played for the Capitals since 2005 and is the NHL’s all-time leading scorer, established “Putin’s Team” to support the president’s reelection bid ahead of the 2018 election. The movement was not very active and now functions mainly as a chain of merchandise stores.
“Alex Ovechkin is a Russian citizen who lives in Moscow with his family during the offseason and will live there following his retirement,” the Capitals said in a statement Tuesday. “This summer, while in Russia, he was asked by his country to participate in a video campaign. As the longest-tenured athlete in Washington, D.C. 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.”
Ovechkin had stepped back from public involvement in Russian politics since 2022. Following the invasion, he called for peace, saying that Putin is “my president” and that but he, as an athlete, couldn’t influence politics.
Catch up quickly every weekday morning with a rundown of the 7 most important and interesting stories. Sign up for The 7 newsletter.
Read more Vance picks up first Senate endorsement for president
