Russia: Vladimir Putin decorates American actor Steven Seagal

< /p> UPDATE DAY

Vladimir Putin on Monday decorated American actor Steven Seagal, a former Hollywood star who in recent years has become an active defender of the Russian president and, more recently, of his offensive against Ukraine. 

Mr Putin signed a decree awarding the actor 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 website of the Russian government. .

Aikido specialist, Steven Seagal, aged 70, was one of the stars of American action cinema of the 1980s and 1990s.

As his career waned, the native of Lansing, Michigan gradually grew closer to authoritarian leaders, including the head of the Kremlin.

In 2016, he received a Russian passport from Vladimir Putin, while retaining his American citizenship. Having since settled in Russia, he even joined a nationalist party in 2021.

Last August, he traveled to eastern Ukraine to meet the leader of the pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, and give them his support.

He then visited the prison of Olenivka, near Donetsk, where dozens of Ukrainian prisoners were killed in an explosion this summer.

< p>For Vladimir Putin's 70th birthday in October, Steven Seagal also recorded a video of support for the Russian president, whom he called “one of the greatest leaders in the world”.

“ I truly hope and pray that he receives the support, love and respect he needs. And that all the current tribulations will soon end, that we will live in a world at peace,” Mr. Seagal added.