The head of a major children's charity was pressured into shooting a commercial supporting the presidential candidacy of Vladimir Putin, under threat of having the charity's funding cut off, an unnamed source told Gazeta.ru on Wednesday.
Actress and founder of charity Podari Zhizn, or Gift of Life, Chulpan Khamatova appeared in a campaign spot for Putin that appeared online Tuesday and was much discussed on social networks. Some commenters speculated that Khamatova may have been forced into shooting the 30-second clip, citing her lack of enthusiasm in the video and rumors of pressure placed on her and her charity.
Putin toured a Moscow children's medical center with Khamatova on Wednesday, RIA-Novosti reported.
An unnamed source who works at Khamatova's charity told Gazeta.ru that the actress had indeed been pressured into appearing in the ad.
"Yes, she was forced, she was threatened. Not her personally, but children were threatened. The fund was threatened, and [they] threatened to cut off oxygen to the blood center, cut off financing," the source said.
Podari Zhizn provides financial assistance for medical treatment of children suffering from severe illnesses.
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