Russia's Red Carpet for Putin's Party Alex Ovechkin, a career goal scoring leader in the NHL and long time Washington Capitals player, has appeared in an ad campaign for United Russia, a party closely aligned with President Vladimir Putin.
The video features high ranking government officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Ovechkin's involvement is not surprising given his history of support for Putin.
In 2017, he launched the "Putin Team" social movement, and his vocal backing of the president has been consistent over the years. However, it's the ease with which Ovechkin justifies his actions that raises eyebrows.