# Ovechkin defends appearance in United Russia campaign ad: ‘I support my country’

https://mins.news/en/item/63530

- The Kyiv Independent, 2026-09-18 01:56 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://kyivindependent.com/im-russian-and-i-support-my-country-ovechkin-says-after-appearing-in-campaign-ad-for-putins-party/

> Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin said he did not hesitate to appear in a United Russia campaign video, saying he supports his country and hopes for peace. He appeared alongside Kremlin officials including Sergey Lavrov ahead of parliamentary elections. U.S. Representative Joe Wilson condemned the ad, while Latvia barred Ovechkin and Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev from entering indefinitely.

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