Putin provides Russian state award to actor Steven Seagal for

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday bestowed a state ornament on Steven Seagal, the American actor and martial artist who additionally holds Russian citizenship.

Seagal, recognized for his appearances in numerous motion movies during the last three many years, was awarded the Order of Friendship, in keeping with an announcement on the Russian authorities’s web portal. The order acknowledges folks whom Russia considers to have contributed to bettering worldwide relations. Naming Seagal as its newest recipient, the decree stated it was given as a reward for his worldwide humanitarian and cultural work, Reuters reported.

Seagal was a vocal supporter of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and final yr visited the Russian-held Ukrainian city of Olenivka the place dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of conflict had been reportedly killed in an assault for which Russia and Ukraine have blamed one another. In 2017, Ukraine banned Seagal from getting into the nation for 5 years, citing nationwide safety considerations.

Seagal was named in 2018 as a Russian Foreign Ministry humanitarian envoy to the United States and Japan.

“Steven Seagal was appointed as the Russian Foreign Ministry’s special representative for Russian-US humanitarian ties,” the embassy stated in a Facebook publish. posts asserting the appointment. “The task is to facilitate relations between Russia and the United States in the humanitarian field, including cooperation in culture, arts, public and youth exchanges, and so on.”

Seagal visited Russia ceaselessly for years earlier than successful citizenship, A reported good friend of the Russian president, Seagal accompanied Putin to a number of martial arts occasions throughout these visits. In November 2016, Putin granted Seagal a Russian passport.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Putin, informed reporters on the time that Seagal “has been persistent for a long time in asking to be granted Russian citizenship,” including that “he is known for his warm feelings to our countryhey never made a secret of it