Alex Ovechkin had Russian bank accounts frozen due to accountant not submitting tax returns since 2023

Alex Ovechkin went through a bit of a financial headache back home in Russia.

According to the Russian sports tabloid “Mash on Sports”, Ovechkin was sanctioned by the country’s Federal Taxation Service (FNS) after not submitting tax returns since 2023. After failing to meet tax declaration deadlines, punitive steps were taken against his Russian bank accounts.

“The hockey legend forgot about his individual entrepreneur and has not sent declarations since 2023,” the outlet’s Telegram post reads, as translated by Google Translate. “After that, the tax service systematically blocked all of his accounts: two in 2023, two more in 2024, and one very recently – at the end of July 2025.

“Ovechkin has no debts, only problems with the individual entrepreneur. Ovi once sold his merch through it.”

In Russia, any individual can become an “individual entrepreneur” (also known as “Individualny Predprinimatel” or IE), a common legal structure for freelancers and contractors seeking to essentially become a sole proprietor. Given how the account is registered, there’s no legal distinction between the individual and the business, hence why Ovechkin’s personal accounts were impacted.

While the issues have persisted over multiple years, Match TV reported on August 12 that they will be resolved shortly.

“There are no problems, no debt either,” a Match TV source said. “But the accountant did not submit the report on time, so the account was blocked. This issue will be closed soon.”

Many Russian and Belarusian news outlets covered the incident, garnering headlines (per a Google Translation) like “Hockey Player Ovechkin’s Bank Accounts Have Been Blocked In Russia, “Ovechkin’s accounts in Russia have been blocked: why tax officials are attacking the legend,” and “Source: Federal Tax Service Blocks Ovechkin’s Accounts.”

Ovechkin has earned the most amount of money in NHL history, $161.7 million, so his accountant does likely have quite a busy job. The Great 8 has also been flippant about tracking his earnings in the past.

“I don’t even know,” Ovechkin said last summer when asked how much money and assets he had.

When asked if he believed that he had over $100 million in the same interview, Ovechkin replied, “Of course not. How? There are taxes. If I had 100 million, I would be relaxing and drinking beer right now.”

Ovechkin also needs to keep track of several real estate investments. He owns properties both in the US and in his native Russia.

“Yes, [I invest in real estate],” Ovechkin said in 2024. “[In Russia], of course. We bought an apartment in Miami four years ago. I have a house in Washington. If I had planned to live there, I would have invested and bought there. And, in Russia, both for myself and for investments.”

There has been no additional reporting on whether Ovechkin’s Russian bank issues have been entirely handled yet. Still, the Washington Capitals winger is reportedly set to return to the US early next month.