Jenna Boures
Staff Writer
@jboures
The ongoing bromance between martial arts junkie and actor Steven Seagal and Russian President Vladimir Putin has reached a new bizarre level.
In an interview with Crimean newspaper Rossiskaya Gazetta, Seagal stated his support for his “brother” Vladimir Putin and called his recent actions in Crimea “very reasonable.”
He said, “[Putin’s] desire to protect the Russian-speaking people of Crimea, his assets, and the Russian Black Sea military base in Sevastopol … is very reasonable.”
Seagal also described Putin as “one of the great living world leaders” and expressed his opinion of the “idiotic” U.S. policy on Ukraine.
The relationship between the American actor and Russia’s president evidently developed over a shared love of mixed martial arts.
Putin announced a new fitness program called “Ready for Labour and Defence” on Monday. For all those who have read George Orwell’s 1984, the idea of physical exercise enforced by the government will seem all too familiar. Left over money from the Sochi Olympics will be used to fund the program.
This is not the first time Russia has seen this program. Stalin created it in 1931 to prepare the public to defend the country.
The Washington Post reported that the young adult fitness programs had names like “Strength and Courage,” “Cheerfulness and Health,” and “Physical Perfection.”
Seagal has made various public appearances in support of Putin’s program.
The Washington Post reported: “To promote the initiative, the action star, who retains celebrity among Russia’s oligarch class, toured a newly built sports complex with Putin. Seagal fitted on a pair of Bono-esque yellow glasses, and, side by side, he and Putin watched martial arts.”
Keep Up With PopWrapped On The Web!
Author
