A heated exchange occurred during an interview with Alexander Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring leader, when a reporter questioned his role in a pro-Russian political advertisement.
Ovechkin was featured in the background of a United Russia party commercial for President Vladimir Putin ahead of recent elections. The reporter pressed him on whether he had informed his team before filming the ad, to which Ovechkin replied, “No.”
The reporter later suggested that Ovechkin’s participation signaled a pro-war stance. Ovechkin denied this, stating: “I don’t think it’s a pro war. I think it’s just support what’s happening in Russia. I want the peace and love for everybody.”
When asked if he would support Russia “no matter what,” Ovechkin responded, “Well, I’m gonna live there, yeah.” The reporter then posed an inflammatory question: “So if they’re responsible for a genocide, you would support the genocide?” Ovechkin requested a translation of “genocide” from his media team and said, “Oh. I would say, like, I’m, I hope it’s not gonna, it’s not gonna be like that.”
In a separate interview with reporters, Ovechkin stated he plans to move back to Russia after retiring: “I’m going to stay there. I’m going to live there. My kids are going to live there.” The reporter also claimed one of the individuals in the ad is Maria Lvova Belova, who has been issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for alleged child abduction. Ovechkin admitted he did not recognize her.
Additionally, a University of Maryland scholar named Sarah Oates stated that Russia is “perpetuating a genocide on Ukrainian people,” noting that Putin’s assertion that Ukraine and Ukrainians have no right to exist justifies the invasion. She further claimed that Ovechkin supports Putin and therefore supports genocide. The Capitals’ general manager, Chris Patrick, said if Ovechkin had informed the organization about the ad beforehand, they would have taken steps to avoid the situation.
