Putin ally Steven Seagal appears to have packed on a few pounds since his close ties with the Russian president pulled him from Hollywood, according to images from a new documentary. Seagal, 72, had a distinctly ballooned belly in the recently released Russian propaganda film, In The Name of Justice, which features him visiting war-torn Ukraine and suggesting that the conflict was self-inflicted by Ukrainians.
Those are the among the latest of Seagal, who was granted Russian citizenship in 2016 and has been selling off his extensive portfolio of American real estate ever since. He has referred to Vladimir Putin as both a “brother” and one of “the greatest living world leaders.” While he has been scarce on social media in recent years, his appearances have typically featured smock-like mandarin coats that conceal his frame.
Action Seagal the documentary presented an unfiltered view of Seagal, who appeared to be bursting out of his shirt and trousers while visiting captured Ukrainian troops, whom the film accused of committing “crimes against civilians,” according to the Daily Mail.
Some one who once worked with Seagal claimed he has gained “at least 50 pounds” and would have gone “apes**t” over his appearance in the documentary. “Seagal, as a rule, controlled the narrative hard when filming, as he insisted on certain camera angles and nothing that accentuates his weight gain,” the source stated.
Seagal, known for his starring roles in 80s and 90s action films like Above the Law, Under Siege, and On Deadly Ground, was raised in America, though his grandparents were Russian immigrants. Since obtaining Russian citizenship, he has declared himself “one million percent Russian” and was awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin for his “major contribution to the development of international culture and humanitarian cooperation.”
He has previously participated in overt Russian propaganda films about the war in Ukraine, even referring to Ukrainians as “Nazis” in a 2020 clip.