Alexander Ovechkin closed out his media availability on Thursday by telling reporters, “Let’s do hockey questions.” ESPN’s Robert Klemko caught him afterward and did the opposite, pressing him on his appearance in a United Russia campaign ad until the Washington Capitals captain walked away.
Klemko isn’t a typical hockey reporter. A former Washington Post journalist, he has filed stories from Ukraine on war crimes prosecutions, collaborators in occupied territory and the country’s improvised drone warfare. The questions he put to Ovechkin were markedly more direct than anything the player has faced since the ad surfaced last weekend.
Alexander Ovechkin pressed
Two details emerged straight away. Ovechkin said the commercial was filmed roughly three weeks ago, and that he never told the Capitals he was doing it – a notable admission, given the team’s earlier statement said he “was asked by his country to participate in a video campaign” and the organization declined to say whether it knew in advance.
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Klemko then explained why this ad had drawn a harsher reaction than Ovechkin’s previous political associations, pointing to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s line in the clip about countries bringing “the sword” to Russia, and how that language mirrors messaging placing blame on Ukraine for the invasion.
“Well, 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,” Ovechkin said. “It doesn’t matter who you are, American, Russian, or Ukrainian. Like, I have lots of friends who are Ukrainians, and I hope everything’s gonna be good, and everything’s gonna be done soon.”
“It’ll be done soon if Putin stops the invasion,” Klemko replied. “Like, that’s how it ends.”
“Well, I’m not in politics,” Ovechkin said. “I can’t say who’s right and who’s wrong.”
Ovechkin’s response
Klemko also raised the presence of Maria Lvova-Belova in the wider campaign. Russia’s children’s rights commissioner has been the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant since 2023 over the alleged unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
“I don’t know who that is,” Ovechkin said.
Asked about Rep. Joe Wilson’s letter to Gary Bettman questioning whether the NHL should allow him to keep playing, Ovechkin returned to the same position.
“Well, everybody have their own opinion, right? I’m not a politician, I’m an athlete, and how I said, I’m gonna live there when I’m done playing. I support my country. Like, I’m Russian,” he said.
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The exchange ended when Klemko pushed the logic of that stance to its limit, asking whether Ovechkin would support Russia even if it were responsible for a genocide. Ovechkin asked what the word meant and a Capitals media relations official translated it for him.
“I hope it’s not gonna, it’s not gonna be like that,” Ovechkin said, according to Klemko’s account, before he and the team representative ended the interview. Klemko said Ovechkin groaned before answering and walked away afterward.
Reporter praised
For context, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the invasion as a genocide on multiple occasions, though no formal body such as the ICC or the International Court of Justice has made that specific determination. Evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity has been extensively documented.
The reaction to the interview focused less on Ovechkin’s answers than on the fact that someone had finally asked.
“This is the most I’ve seen anyone press Ovechkin about this subject. Good to see it,” one person wrote.
“This is real journalism. This is the journalism the rest of the league needs to step up to when it comes to questioning athletes,” another said.
“Followed because you did your job in a world where so many journalists refuse to do so. Seriously, Robert: thank you,” a third added.
Others zeroed in on the contradiction at the center of it all. “I’m sorry, Alex, you don’t get to say ‘I’m not in politics’ after you have filmed a political ad,” one person wrote.
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