Artur Smolyaninov is on the look out for speaking against Russia. AP
Moscow: Russian actor Artur Smolyaninov has landed into trouble for speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine and after he said that he could fight for Ukraine’s cause in the war.
Russia’s top investigative agency is currently hunting down Smolyaninov for openly condemning the Ukraine war. The 39-year-old film star, who is best known for his patriotic roles, reportedly turned down a number of offers to flee Russian and openly criticise the war without facing the risk of arrest.
Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia – the group that deals with high-profile crimes – has announced that he has tasked members of the committee with drafting charges against Smolyaninov in connection with a recent interview where he made “a number of remarks targeted against Russia.”
However, according to Telegraph, Bastrykin hasn’t mentioned the crime the actor is suspected of.
The actor’s comments come at a time when Russia’s ultra-nationalist politicians have started labelling those who speak out against the war as “traitors” who should be penalised for their actions.
‘Would go fight for Ukraine’
During an interview with Europe’s Novaya Gazeta, Artur talked about how his friends in Ukraine are suffering due to the war.
When asked whether his pro-Ukraine stance meant that he could go the frontline and fight for its cause, he said, ‘On an emotional level, definitely yes. To me, it’s not about fighting on the side of Ukraine. It’s about fighting on the side of my brothers who got invaded and killed by other brothers of mine.”
He further said that he only cares about when the war against Ukraine would end and that he “doesn’t give a damn about what will be left of Russia geographically” or “whether it falls apart or not.”
Artur’s pro-Ukraine stance was further bolstered after he featured in an anti-war music video where he played the father of a Russian soldier killed in Ukraine trying to move on as if nothing happened.
‘Kremlin doesn’t have good opinion about actor’
Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, said, “The Kremlin doesn’t have a good opinion about this actor,” when he was asked about the potential charges against Smolyaninov.
He added that it was up to the law enforcement agencies to “give legal assistance to his remarks.”
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