Pierre Richard took the floor. Not on stage or on a film set but in a video released by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. The 87-year-old actor, looking serious, takes a stand in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and addresses Vladimir Putin and Denys Monastyrsky. Unveiled by BFMTV, the speech is striking: “Mr. President, I know Russia well, I know its people well, whom I love, I know Ukraine well, I also know its people, whom I love. So I’m torn to see the Russian army invading Ukraine. And invade, the word is weak. It is an invasion that borders on massacre, I would even say barbarism. No reason justifies killing women, children, civilians. It is absolutely abominable.“
The actor, popular in Vladimir Putin’s lands, then addressed Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky: “Every evening, I look at the images with enormous emotion, even more so. I wanted to tell you, Mr. Minister, that I think a lot about you, your people, your president. I salute their courage, their resistance, their resilience and their determination. I salute them and I admire them. I wanted to tell you this and I remain hopeful that all of this will end as soon as possible. So that these abominations finally cease.“
He is not the first to take the risk of alienating Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, however, is one of the adored French comedians in the country. Gérard Depardieu, close to the Head of State, had spoken a little earlier, denouncing “a fratricidal war“which it was necessary to put an end to. Gérard Depardieu had even published a press release in which he revealed that he was paying all the proceeds from his shows to the victims. A gesture which angered certain Russian political leaders, calling for the removal of nationality Russian to Gérard Depardieu and to withdraw from him the real estate acquired on the territory.