The Hollywood star shares the love of martial arts with the Russian president and, according to the Kremlin spokesman, he had "insistently" asked for citizenship.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday granting Russian nationality to American actor Steven Seagal, a historic figure in Hollywood action movies.
A great aikido specialist, Steven Seagal has met Putin several times in recent years, a lover of judo. The 64-year-old actor was also in Moscow on several occasions.
“I have been asking for a long time, and insistently, for Russian nationality”
"He has been asking for a long time, and insistently, for Russian nationality," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, who specified that the actor is "known for his warm feelings for his country."
Steven Seagal, who had already obtained Serbian citizenship in January, is not the first Western personality to receive Russian citizenship. French actor Gerard Depardieu, who was looking for a country where he could pay fewer taxes, also got his Russian passport in January 2013.
Former world boxing champion Roy Jones Jr and mixed martial arts champion Jeff Monson, both Americans, have also received Russian citizenship.
Visiting Belarus in August, Seagal had amused social media by posting a video showing the country's authoritarian leader Alexandre Loukachenko forcing him to eat a carrot.
