Following his media availability on Thursday, Alex Ovechkin briefly took pointed questions from ESPN’s Robert Klemko before walking away.
A former Washington Post reporter, Klemko has filed stories from Ukraine about pending war crimes prosecutions, collaborators, and bootstrapping drone warfare. His questions about Ovechkin’s appearance in a United Russia commercial were more assertive than the player has fielded so far.
For example, Klemko explained the impression that the commercial was pro-war.
I think the reason for the backlash being bigger this time is because of what Lavrov says about countries bringing “the sword” to Russia. When I talk to experts about that, it mimics messaging Russians get that says Ukraine is responsible for being invaded by Russia. So you standing behind him, as he says that, feels to people like a pro war stance.
Sergey Lavrov is the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, roughly equivalent to the US Secretary of State. He is the primary speaker in the commercial.
Ovechkin objected to that pro-war characterization.
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. 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.
Ovechkin’s response echoed his statement when the war began in 2022. Klemko followed-up with the specific scenario in which the war would end. “It’ll be done soon if Putin stops the invasion,” Klemko said. “Like, that’s how it ends.”
“Well, I’m not in politics,” Ovechkin, who had just appeared in a political ad, said. “I can’t say who’s right and who’s wrong.”
Klemko noted that one of Ovechkin’s costars, Maria Lvova-Belova, has a 2023 warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “unlawful deportation of population (children).”
Ovechkin said he does not know who Lvova-Belova is.
The interview turned after that. Ovechkin repeated that his retirement plan is to live in Russia, adding, “I support my country. Like, I’m Russian.”
Klemko followed up. “You would support it no matter what?”
“Well,” Ovechkin said, “I’m gonna live there, yeah.”
Klemko responded with a rhetorical point. “So if they’re responsible for a genocide, you would support the genocide?”
Ovechkin requested a translation of genocide from a Capitals representative. Here’s how Klemko describes the ending of the interview:
Asked about assertions that Russia is responsible for a genocide, Ovechkin told ESPN, “I hope it’s not gonna, it’s not gonna be like that,” before he and a team media relations representative ended the interview.
In a social media post about the interview, Klemko said Ovechkin groaned before answering and walked away afterwards.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has characterized Russia’s invasion as a genocide multiple times, starting in 2022, but a formal body like the International Court of Justice or ICC has not made that specific case, whereas evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity are abundant.
After four and a half years, the Russia-Ukraine war continues. As of January 2026, the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates combined casualties may be as high as 1.8 million.
