Ovechkin appears in United Russia campaign ad and explains his decision

Russian hockey star Alexander Ovechkin said he agreed without hesitation to appear in a campaign video for the United Russia party, which is backed by President Vladimir Putin, because he "stands up for his country." He made the comments to reporters at Washington Capitals media day in the NHL.

"I'm Russian, and I stand up for my country," Ovechkin said. "I'm for peace and love, and I hope that in the world it doesn't matter who you are. I hope everyone understands that everyone wants peace and that everything in the world will be fine."

Parliamentary elections are set to take place in Russia this coming weekend — the first since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. In the released video, Ovechkin appears alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. According to the hockey player, he was asked to take part in the filming and agreed without a second thought. He also said he plans to live in Russia after his sports career ends.

Who else appears in the video

Besides Ovechkin, who holds the NHL record for career goals scored, the video also features propagandist Margarita Simonyan and other performers who publicly support the Russian government.

Longstanding ties to Putin

Ovechkin has long faced criticism over his close ties to the Russian president. In 2017, he founded a public movement in support of Putin, and to this day his Instagram profile picture shows him alongside the Russian leader.

Ovechkin had already called for peace back in February 2022, shortly after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Well, he's my president. But I'm not into politics. I'm an athlete, and I hope all of this will be resolved soon," he said at the time when asked about his support for Putin.

Ovechkin, who turned 41 on Thursday, has scored 929 goals in 1,573 NHL regular-season games, and the upcoming season will be his 22nd in the league. In 2018, he led the Capitals to victory in the Stanley Cup.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz