It's a beautiful Tuesday afternoon.

• Grab your phone. Go outside. We'll walk and talk.

📺 What's on the tube:

• Phillies at Nationals, 6:45pm, Nationals.TV — Washington is eliminated, but we can still mess with Philadelphia's playoff push.

Today's newsletter is 776 words, a 3-minute read.

A campaign video for Vladimir Putin's ruling party that features Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is reigniting scrutiny of the hockey legend's ties to the Russian leader.

Why it matters: Ovechkin's public support for Putin has long coexisted with his status as one of D.C.'s most celebrated athletes.

• The controversy lands just as the Caps' longtime captain begins what could be his final NHL season.

Driving the news: Ovechkin appears in the United Russia election ad standing alongside Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other prominent politicos and media figures ahead of the country's Sept. 18-20 parliamentary elections, according to The Guardian and independent Russian outlet Meduza.

• Ovechkin doesn't speak in the video, which the outlets report is part of a series promoting United Russia's leading candidates.

Friction point: The video drew swift backlash on social media, including calls for the NHL to cut ties with one of its leading players.

• José Andrés called it "a sad day for my beloved DC team!!" citing Russia's war with Ukraine and its alleged role in American casualties in Iran.
• Former NHL goaltender Dominik Hasek criticized the ad, saying everyone featured "has chosen to officially support Russia's imperialist war in Ukraine."

What they're saying: Capitals spokesperson Sergey Kocharov tells Axios in a statement that this summer, while living in Russia during the offseason, Ovechkin "was asked by his country to participate in a video campaign."

• Kocharov didn't give further details about the video, saying that Ovechkin's "focus and ours is on the season ahead and the continued impact he makes on the ice and in our city."
• Axios' attempts to reach Ovechkin weren't immediately returned.

Flashback: Ovechkin has publicly supported Putin for years. In 2017, he launched "PutinTeam," a social movement supporting the Russian president ahead of his reelection.

• After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, however, Ovechkin struck a more guarded tone. "Please, no more war," he told reporters, while continuing to call Putin "my president."
• "I am not in politics," Ovechkin said at the time. "I'm not in control of this situation."
• In 2025, when Ovechkin broke the NHL's career goals record, Putin congratulated him on the Kremlin's Telegram channel.

What's ahead: Ovechkin returned to Washington from Russia last week and starts training camp Thursday — his 41st birthday.

Share this story

🧑‍🍳 D.C. is planning to auction off Gravitas' wines, art and equipment after seizing the Michelin-starred Ivy City restaurant's assets over roughly $205,000 in unpaid taxes — casting doubt on a potential reopening.

• Chef/owner Matt Baker is also facing separate lawsuits totaling hundreds of thousands in alleged unpaid expenses tied to other restaurants and unfinished projects. (WBJ)

⚖️ A federal judge just ruled that the Kennedy Center's latest attempt to put President Trump's name on the performing arts center violated his earlier order blocking its renaming. (Axios)

🥂 Causa's Carlos Delgado and Perry's Masako Morishita made Food & Wine's Best New Chefs list this year.

• To celebrate, Delgado is launching a chef collaboration series at his Japanese-Peruvian hand roll counter Maru San, including with Morishita on Feb. 23, his team tells Anna.
• The lineup: Fabio Trabocchi (10/27), Angel Barreto (11/17), Rob Rubba (12/1) and Isabel Coss (date TBD). Tickets will hit Resy in the coming weeks.

The art of the game is on display at Union Station, where a new pop-up gallery explores sports through the eyes of artists.

The big picture: "America: The Game" looks at how competition and rivalries have shaped American culture and identity, featuring work from more than 30 artists through Oct. 10.

• On view: Street art, photography, sculpture and more.

"We talk about America in terms of democracy, freedom, and opportunity, but underneath all those ideas is competition," says Brandon Hill of All Day Projects, who curated the show with JAB Arts.

• "Who gets ahead? Who makes the rules? Who gets to play?"

If you go: Find it in the former Ann Taylor on the mezzanine level, Wednesdays-Saturdays from 11am to 7pm.

Tell a friend

😂 Anna and Alexa are lol-ing at your Commanders caption submissions from yesterday. Some favorites:

• "An L, but ...I'm gonna stand here like a goal post and hope Stefon Diggs hugs me."
• "Those hands aren't celebrating… they're asking for help!"
• "'W' doesn't just have to stand for 'winning.' It could also stand for 'Washington' or... with this football team, 'WTH.'"

This newsletter was edited by Alexa Mencia Orozco and Mike Szvetitz.