Why did Steven Seagal move to Russia? Actor spotted attending the Victory Day military parade hosted by Putin
American actor, producer, screenwriter, musician, and martial artist Steven Seagal attended Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2025. Images and videos of him from the event have now circulated online. He was seen seated next to the “Night Wolves,” a pro-Kremlin motorcycle gang.
Steven Seagal has been a longtime friend, ally, and supporter of Putin, who earned Russian citizenship in 2016. Reportedly, he moved to Moscow in 2021 to escape the US crypto fine imposed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for seemingly failing to disclose he was being paid to promote a digital token.
On Friday, Steven Seagal was present at the Victory Day parade alongside several political dignitaries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
While Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico did not attend the Victory Day parade, he did attend the wreath-laying ceremony outside the Red Square in Moscow. Leaders of Ethiopia and Vietnam were also in attendance.
More about Steven Seagal’s relationship with Russia and legal dispute with the USA
In 2016, Vladimir Putin issued a presidential decree granting Steven Seagal Russian and Serbian citizenship. In 2018, he was appointed as the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Special Envoy to the USA, focusing on both countries’ humanitarian relations.
Steven Seagal has also been the Special Representative for Russia-US Cultural Links, Cultural and Historical Heritage.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) won a case against Seagal in August 2021. US District Judge William Kuntz ruled that the SEC can try and collect a fine of $200,000 alongside other penalties and interests from Steven’s business manager.
The 73-year-old Michigan native reportedly failed to disclose he was promised $250,000 in cash and $75,000 in tokens for promoting an initial coin offering for the digital currency Bitcoiin2Gen.
According to the SEC, the Beyond the Law actor was supposed to pay $330,000, but only paid $75,000 off the amount, with the remainder due. Steven, for his part, promised to settle his dues, but neither admitted nor denied the allegations.
Later, he failed to respond to the SEC's repeated demands for the delayed payments. Seagal, his former lawyer, and his manager also failed to appear before the court, according to News24.com.
In March 2023, Steven Seagal was honored with the Order of Friendship medal by Putin at an event held by the International Movement of Russians in Moscow. It was offered for the actor’s “great contribution to the development of international cultural and humanitarian cooperation.”
In response to the medal, he pledged his allegiance to Russia and declared himself as “one million percent Russian.” He also accused the US government of reportedly spending billions of dollars on “disinformation, lies,” and trying to “discredit, demoralize, and destroy the emerging morale of Russia.”
“Over half of the people in America actually love Russia and love Russians and know that they’re being lied to,” Seagal claimed at the time.
Steven, whose father was a Russian, also talked about his “pure Russian” upbringing and embracing “Russian culture” early on in his life.
“I grew up loving Russia and loving all of what I learned about it from a very early age. And for me, I am one million per cent Russophile and one million per cent Russian,” he added.
Earlier, Steven Seagal called the Russian President “one of the greatest world leaders, if not the greatest world leader, alive today,” as per independent.co.uk reports.
The Under Siege star attended Putin's 5th term inauguration in May 2024. In October last year, he released a documentary titled In the Name of Justice, where Seagal claimed he was ready to "fight" and "die if need be" for the Russian President.
Russia’s flagship Victory Day parade on Friday marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 1945 and the victory of the Allied Powers over N*zi Germany. Over 10,000 military troops participated in the parade.
