FBI director, Ovechkin, and Russian propaganda: what's connection?

The controversial FBI Director, Kash Patel, congratulated pro-Putin hockey player Alexander Ovechkin on his sporting achievements. But this fits the American style—they love celebrities. Ovechkin is not only a sports superstar but also comes from a famous family. He's been playing for the Washington Capitals for a long time, so he’s somewhat of an Americanized star. One can turn a blind eye to the hockey player’s political preferences and shake hands with him.

It’s important to note that Ovechkin has been living in the U.S. for years and has numerous sports brand contracts. His PR team advised him to be cautious about speaking out on the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He was advised to call for peace but avoid criticizing Putin. This political flexibility allowed for hugs and selfies with the new Trump administration.

Putin, of course, doesn't mind. It serves as a cultural-sporting bridge to Washington, demonstrating how well Russia and the U.S. can work together.

Now, let’s focus on the FBI Director, Kash Patel. He’s a reminder of what America’s future might look like—people with no ties to old Europe rising to power. Patel is the child of Indian immigrants and, now leading the FBI, he’s been critical of intelligence agencies—something the Anglo-Saxon establishment cultivated last century. No offense to immigrants, but this is definitely not the person for whom J. Edgar Hoover was an idol.

Like many MAGA supporters, Patel believes the biggest problem is the "deep state"—the horizontal connections that keep any government afloat when populist leaders come to power through democratic elections. Patel has mentioned several times how he would like to close the FBI’s central office and turn it into a museum dedicated to the deep state. He suggests sending the FBI’s 7,000 employees across the country to catch criminals instead.

A fan of Russian hockey, Patel also isn’t averse to taking Russian money. This is much worse than a photo with Ovechkin, who has lived in the U.S. for over twenty years.

Patel, a 44-year-old former federal prosecutor, is one of Donald Trump’s most loyal allies. He was part of Trump’s circle during his first term. 

Since 2017, Patel actively promoted the QAnon conspiracy movement, claiming that American elites were involved in child trafficking, Satanism, and corruption. 

In 2024, Patel received a $25,000 payment from the film company Global Tree Pictures, run by Igor Lopatyonyok, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen. Lopatyonyok, born in Ukraine, has worked against Ukrainians for Russia. 

Together with Hollywood director Oliver Stone, he produced several propaganda films, including "Ukraine on Fire" (2015), claiming that Ukraine was a U.S. project and that Nazis were everywhere. Other films feature pro-Russian figures like Viktor Medvedchuk and Viktor Yanukovych.

In 2024, Radio Free Europe reported that Lopatyonyok and Stone planned to create films to "whitewash" the reputations of authoritarian leaders like Belarus' Lukashenko, Azerbaijan’s Aliyev, and Turkey's Erdogan. They also considered making a series about Russia’s role in World War II.

However, with Trump in power, the optics changed. They saw potential clients closer to home and started working on a film about Trump. Patel was paid for his participation in a documentary, "All the President's Men: The Conspiracy Against Trump," which aired in November on Tucker Carlson's platform.

Interestingly, Patel declared the payment as a fee for providing valuable information. Perhaps they all found common ground—FBI Director Patel is a creator too. 

In 2023, he published a memoir, "Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy," in which he called to root out what he called "government tyranny" in the FBI by firing "top officials." He also wrote two anti-Trump children's books featuring a hero named King Donald battling villains like Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris.

Moreover, Patel is a social media expert and was on the board of directors for Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns Trump's social media platform, Truth Social.

In conclusion, Kash Patel’s praise of a Russian athlete is the worst part of his biography. Yet, the new FBI Director is ready to star in foreign propaganda and take hefty fees for whitewashing dictatorial regimes. One can almost hear J. Edgar Hoover spinning in his grave.

Specially for Espreso

About the author: Maryna Danilyuk-Yarmolayeva, journalist

The editorial staff does not always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.