Vladimir Putin Grants Russian Citizenship to Actor Steven Seagal

FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2015 file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. actor Steven Seagal shake hands after visiting an oceanarium built on Russky Island, in the Russian Far Eastern port of Vladivostok. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, that Russia has awarded Russian citizenship to Seagal. AP Photo/Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik, Government Press Service Pool Photo via AP, File

Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded Russian citizenship to action film actor Steven Seagal, the Kremlin said Thursday.

The 64-year-old Seagal has been a regular visitor to Russia in recent years and has accompanied Putin to several martial arts events, as well as vocally defending the Russian leader’s policies and criticizing the U.S. government.

Seagal is the latest in a string of foreign celebrities to be awarded Russian nationality by the Kremlin in recent years. Others include French actor Gerard Depardieu and U.S. boxer Roy Jones Jr.

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