State Duma deputy promises to have actor Artur Smolyaninov investigated

State Duma deputy Sultan Khamzaev has promised to ask the Investigative Committee to open a criminal case against actor Artur Smolyaninov, the deputy told RIA Novosti.

The basis of Khamzaev’s complaint is an interview Smolyaninov gave to Novaya Gazeta Europe, in which the actor said that if he had to go to war, he would fight for Ukraine.

“Such actors should immediately have all their state contracts canceled. For my part, I will appeal to the Investigative Committee to open a criminal case against this traitor,” said Khamzaev.

Another State Duma deputy, Yevgeny Popov, felt that Smolyaninov’s words were “a violation of the rights and freedoms of other Russian citizens,” and suggested that Russia develop legal mechanisms to “protect Russians against threats and deprive citizens who are convicted criminals of the advantages afforded by a Russian passport.” Popov proposed introducing the practice of revoking passports.

Artur Smolyaninov is famous for the films The 9th Company, AK-47, Heat, Yolki, the television series An Hour Before Dawn, and other projects.

The actor has been vocal about his anti-war position since the beginning of Russia’s war with Ukraine. He has been excluded from several state-funded projects. In October 2022, he left the country. A Moscow court fined the actor for “discrediting” the Russian army. The basis for that case was another interview with the actor, but it’s not known which interview, specifically, was in question.