Support The Moscow Times!

Depardieu Wants 7 Passports

French actor and new Russian national Gerard Depardieu said he wants to gain citizenship of seven countries and is now applying to get an Algerian passport, Le Journal du Dimanche reported.

"I am a citizen of the world. I am a free person. I am a French-Russian actor," Depardieu said, adding that the more passports he got, the more countries he could enter without visas.

Depardieu collected his Russian passport at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in January. He obtained a permanent residence permit in Mordovia, central Russia, in February.

The movie star said he had renounced his French citizenship ahead of the government's planned implementation of a 75 percent tax rate for annual earnings above $1.3 million. Russia has a single-band income tax of just 13 percent.

Related articles:

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more