iStockphoto / Danny Wild-Imagn Images
Alex Ovechkin over flags of Latvia and Russia
There’s no reason to think Alex Ovechkin has any commitments that require him to head to Latvia in the near future. However, he won’t be welcome there if he does, as the country announced he’s been banned from crossing its borders on the same day he declined to apologize for his appearance in a political ad that’s stirred up some controversy.
Approximately 7% of the players who are currently listed on an NHL roster hailed from Russia, and there isn’t a single member of that group who’s a bigger name than Alex Ovechkin.
The 41-year-old was born and raised in Moscow and has historically returned to his native land during the offseason. That was the case this year, as the man who is gearing up for his 22nd season with the Capitals recently returned from Russia to join the team for training camp.
However, he headed back to the United States with some additional baggage on top of the luggage he returned with, as more than a few people took issue with his decision to appear in a campaign ad for United Russia, a political party that is firmly aligned with Vladimir Putin.
Ovechkin just appeared in a campaign video for United Russia — Putin’s party. Standing next to him: Sergei Lavrov and Margarita Simonyan. Russia’s Foreign Minister and its chief war propagandist.
Keep sports out of politics, they said. pic.twitter.com/hElCYj10i9
— Saint Javelin (@saintjavelin) September 14, 2026
The spot generated plenty of backlash from fans who were less than thrilled to see Ovechkin align himself with the autocrat who triggered the invasion of Ukraine, and it also seemingly sparked a response from the government of a country he’s now forbidden from entering.
Latvia announced it will refuse entry to Alex Ovechkin, a decision likely linked to a campaign ad he defended
Russian NHL players have been put in an awkward situation due to its ongoing war with Ukraine. Those athletes risk possible retribution against both themselves and their families back home for speaking out against the former, and even taking a neutral stance can be a somewhat risky move.
Ovechkin essentially did that by calling for peace when the conflict broke out in 2022. However, he had vocally supported Putin prior to that point, and it’s hard to ignore the fact that the profile picture on his Instagram account is still a photo of him standing next to the man who’s effectively ruled his homeland since the turn of the millennium.
Earlier this week, the Capitals risked a rectal injury based on how hard they decided to sit on the fence with a statement addressing his appearance in the aforementioned advertisement, and on Thursday, Ovechkin made it pretty clear he had no regrets about participating while discussing it himself for the first time.
Alex Ovechkin on appearing in the Putin commercial. pic.twitter.com/CwtdUsPfDU
— Grant Paulsen (@GrantPaulsen) September 17, 2026
The veteran acknowledged the elephant in the room while speaking with the media, saying,
“I’m Russian. As soon as I’m done playing hockey, I’m probably going to stay there. I’ll live there; my kids are gonna live there, my family.
I’m for peace and love. I hope everything’s going to be OK.”
He went on to say he is “not pro-war” and that he agreed to appear in the ad to “just support what’s happening in Russia” (he also said he was unaware of the identities of some of the people he stood alongside in the video, including Maria Lvova-Belova, the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court concerning the abduction of Ukrainian children).
Ovechkin shared those thoughts around the same time Baiba Braže, who serves as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Latvia, announced the longtime Capital had been placed on “the list of personae non gratae,” which means he’ll be banned from entering the country that shares a border with Russia “for an indefinite period.”
❌The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, has decided to include Alexander Ovechkin and Umar Kremlev on the list of personae non gratae and to prohibit their entry into Latvia for an indefinite period.
The decision was made in accordance with Section 104, Paragraph 3,… pic.twitter.com/dUieRWSNPP
— Latvian MFA 🇱🇻 | #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 (@Latvian_MFA) September 17, 2026
The minister also extended a ban to Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch who recently popped up in the news for allegedly funding a portion of Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding celebration.
It doesn’t seem like the ban will really have any impact on Ovechkin, but this saga has the potential to keep unfolding as we get closer to the start of the upcoming NHL season.