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Putin decorates American actor Steven Seagal

Vladimir Putin on Monday decorated American actor Steven Seagal, a former Hollywood star who has become an active defender of the Russian president and, more recently, of his offensive against Ukraine. The head of the Kremlin signed a decree handing over to him “The Order of Friendship” For “his great contribution to the development of international cultural and humanitarian cooperation”said a document published on the official legal site of the Russian government.

Seventy-year-old aikido specialist Steven Seagal was one of the stars of American action cinema in the 1980s and 1990s. As his career waned, the native of Lansing, Michigan gradually closer to authoritarian leaders, including Vladimir Putin. In 2016, he had received from her hands a Russian passport, while retaining his American nationality. Installed since in Russia, he even joined in 2021 a nationalist party.

Last August, he traveled to eastern Ukraine to meet the leader of the pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, and offer him his support. He then visited the prison of Olenivka, near Donetsk, where dozens of Ukrainian prisoners died in an explosion this summer.

For Vladimir Putin’s seventieth birthday in October, Steven Seagal also recorded a video of support for the Russian president, whom he called a“one of the greatest leaders in the world”. “I really hope and pray that he gets the support, love and respect he needs. And that all the current tribulations will soon end, that we will live in a peaceful world”added Mr. Seagal.

source site-29