Steven Seagal visits Donetsk - Why is he friends with Putin?

American actor Steven Seagal has made controversial statements since Russia invaded Ukraine. He appears to be a friend of Putin and regularly spreads Kremlin propaganda. In August 2022, Seagal visited the Donetsk region, where pro-Russian units declared their independence from Ukraine.

Seagal made a video from the Olenivka prison in Donetsk to say that the Ukrainian government had carried out an unauthorized bombing on the complex. According to the New York Post, citing Ukrainian President Zelensky, this is not true. Seagal continues to film in the region and plans to make a documentary from his perspective on the war.

Image: Seagal in his recent video on the Telegram channel @solovievlive, via the NY Post

On February 28, 2022, Seagal told Fox New Digital his thought on the Ukrainian conflict, saying: “Most of us have friends and family in Russia & Ukraine. I look at both as one family and really believe it is an outside entity spending huge sums of money on propaganda to provoke the two countries to be at odds with each other.”

Steven Seagal then continued, “My prayers are that both countries will come to a positive, peaceful resolution where we can live & thrive together in peace."

Many action film fans may not be aware that Steven Seagal and Vladimir Putin have been friends for quite some time.

According to NPR, the star of "Under Siege" and Putin were introduced thanks to Bob Van Ronkel, who runs Doors to Hollywood. This company brings American celebrities to Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union.

Pictured: Bob Van Ronkel and Arnold Schwarzenegger

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In 2018 Van Ronkel had an interview with NPR, and he spoke about how Putin and Seagal became best buds: "I was hired to bring Steven Seagal to perform with his band for another event with President Putin, so kind of was responsible for that introduction, and Steven becoming best friends with him."

It is said that Seagal and Putin bonded over their mutual love of martial arts when they first met.

As the friendship grew, the duo was photographed attending combat demonstrations together. Here we see the pair at the Mixed fight Championship in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on August 11, 2012.

However, when the public caught wind of the relationship, they were not very happy with Steven Seagall, especially when he supported Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Here we see Steven Seagal and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin take part in the military exhibition "Oboronexpo-2014" in Zhukovsky outside Moscow, on August 14, 2014.

In 2016 Seagal and Putin's friendship was made official when the Russian President gave Steven Seagal a Russian passport.

Steven Seagal said it was a "great honor" to be presented with the Russian passport, and Putin said he hoped their "personal relationship will remain and continue."

This most unusual "bromance" continued to flourish. In August 2018, Putin appointed Seagal as a special envoy between the United States and Russia.

Per an announcement made by the Russian foreign ministry, Seagal's role was to promote relations between Moscow and Washington "in the humanitarian sphere."

When asked to comment upon the position granted to him by Russia, Steven Seagal said, "I've always had a very strong desire to do all I can to help improve Russian-American relations.

Seagal continued, "I have worked tirelessly in this direction for many years unofficially, and I am now very grateful for the opportunity to do the same thing officially."

Due to his alliance with Putin and Russia, in 2017, Ukraine banned Steven Seagal from entering the country as he was deemed a threat to national security.

According to the Washington Post, a Ukrainian security services letter was released, which states that banning Seagal from the country was considered appropriate as the government considers his actions to be "socially dangerous actions...that contradict the interests of maintaining Ukraine’s security."

It seems that Ukraine was probably right to be wary of Seagal because not only is Steven Seagal a citizen of Russia, but he continues to remain closely attached to those high up in the Russian political scene.

Last year Seagal was given party membership to a political alliance called Just Russia - Patriots - For Truth, an alliance that is made up of three pro-Putin parties.

According to The Guardian, in his welcome speech, Seagal said, "We really need to set up a situation where we can investigate, arrest and prosecute people criminally so that there is results... Without being able to arrest people, when we just fine them, they are probably making more money of the production of the things that are defiling the environment."

With his documentary in the Donbas region, Seagal now seems to have shifted his attention to the conflict in Ukraine. He is using his international fame to put the cause of the Kremlin and the pro-Russian occupiers in a good light.