Tax Evasion

Depardieu Sides With Putin

Drawing anger from Russia's opposition activists.

French actor Gerard Depardieu is singing the praises of controversial Russian President Vladimir Putin and blamed opposition for not having a political program. "I like this man very much, he is a very powerful political activist. He has political wisdom," he said of Putin, according to a translation on a Russian TV channel. "The Russian opposition has no program, nothing. There are very smart people there, like (former world chess champion Garry) Kasparov, but what works well for chess is completely unsuited to politics." The French actor was recently granted Russian citizenship from Putin after leaving France to avoid a proposed 75 percent tax on millionaires and his comments have quickly drawn ire from opposition activists in Russia, where recent crackdowns on dissent are incrasingly concerning for the global community.