Alexander Ovechkin backs Putin party in campaign video

When Russia 's parliamentary elections are held from September 18 to 20, Alexander Ovechkin won't be there to cast his ballot in person. On Monday he took his first few strides back on the ice in the United States as he starts gearing up for a new National Hockey League (NHL) season with the Washington Capitals, his 22nd in the world's best league.

Before leaving his homeland, where he spent his summer break, he did make his contribution to the election campaign, however, appearing in a video promoting the ruling United Russia party, which steadfastly supports President Vladimir Putin .

In the video, which has been widely shared on social media, Ovechkin doesn't speak but can be clearly seen in the third row of a group of supporters behind Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who is heading the United Russia list for the parliamentary vote.

Ovechkin's appearance has faced criticism, including from Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych , who was disqualified from the 2026 Olympic Games for insisting on wearing a helmet depicting athletes killed in Russia's war in Ukraine.

This is certainly not the first time that Ovechkin has expressed his support for Putin, with whom he shares his profile photo on his Instagram account.

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