February 09, 2023

Gérard Depardieu Bids Adieu


Gérard Depardieu Bids Adieu
Gérard Depardieu's post calling the war in Ukraine "fratricidal." Gérard Depardieu, Instagram.

In 2013, French actor Gérard Depardieu was granted Russian citizenship so that he could escape France's high taxes. Despite repeatedly praising Putin over the years, in April 2022, in an Instagram post, Depardieu called Russia's War in Ukraine "fratricidal."

Yet in a recent interview with the German newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine, the actor changed his tune.

After Depardieu's 2022 criticism, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: "I'd suggest that Depardieu most likely does not fully understand what is happening (...) If necessary, we will be ready to tell him about this and explain so that he understands better."

In his February 4, 2023, interview with the German paper (here in Russian), Depardieu said that he doesn't mix acting with politics and adamantly refused to discuss the invasion, and that "no one can say anything actually intelligent" about the war.

"I am, as before, Russian," Depardieu said. "I love Russian culture. If I love a country, it is always for its culture."

Depardieu currently resides in Europe, but his spokesperson said in May 2022 that the actor would return to Russia at some point in the future. Meanwhile, in response to Depardieu's less-than-patriotic sentiments,State Duma Representative Sultan Khamzaev has threatened to confiscate the actor's properties in Saransk and Grozny and give them to orphans.

 

You Might Also Like

Keep Your Taxes to Yourself
  • January 29, 2023

Keep Your Taxes to Yourself

The Russian parliament passed a bill that allows legislators to not disclose their tax returns to the public.  
The Russian Conundrum
  • January 01, 1999

The Russian Conundrum

An essay on what it takes to understand the conundrum that is Russia.
It Takes Guts
  • November 01, 2012

It Takes Guts

A recent letter that the editors of Russian Life received from one of its respected readers was directed at Mikhail Ivanov and one of his “Survival Russian” columns. We felt it deserved a longer response than space in the magazine allowed.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955