Was Steven Seagal’s ‘bromance’ with Russia’s Putin behind Ukraine’s blacklist?
The 65-year-old actor has for years cultivated a friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, bonding over their love of martial arts and shared macho images
Steven Seagal, the American actor best known for his role in ‘90s action movies such as Hard to Kill and Under Siege, has been blacklisted from the Ukraine as a national security threat.
Seagal is banned from entering the country for five years on grounds he has “committed socially dangerous actions ... that contradict the interests of maintaining Ukraine’s security,” according to a Ukrainian security service letter published by the news site Apostrophe and reported by the Guardian.
The 65-year-old actor has for years cultivated a friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, bonding over their love of martial arts and shared macho images.
In an interview then, Seagal defended Russia’s annexation of Crimea, saying that Putin’s “desire to protect the Russian-speaking people of Crimea, his assets, and the Russian Black Sea military base in Sevastopol . . . is very reasonable,” the Moscow Times reported.
Watch: Putin gives Russian passport to US actor Steven Seagal