The Russian actor Artur Smoljaninov (39) was the hero of The 9th Company, and was often described as Russia’s Rambo.
The 2005 Russian war film was one of Vladimir Putin’s favorite films. On that occasion, Putin invited the actors, including Smoljaninov, to his residence outside Moscow where they watched the film together.
But a lot has changed since then.
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– I feel nothing but hatred for the people on the Russian side of the front line. If I was on the ground, there would be no mercy.
That’s what Smoljaninov said in a new interview with the Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta last week, writes CNN.
The actor told about a former colleague who went to Russia to fight there.
– Would I shoot him? Undoubtedly. Do I keep my options open to fight for Ukraine? Absolutely. If I were to fight in this war, I would only have fought for Ukraine.
A few days later, the actor was classified as a foreign agent by the Russian Ministry of Justice. The head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, also ordered the opening of a criminal case against Smolyaninov.
The actor spoke out about the war for the first time last summer.
– Everything is collapsing: there are ashes, smoke and tears, Smoljaninov said in an interview when he was still in Russia.
In October last year, he left his home country, and it is believed that he is currently in Latvia.
