Steven Seagal Ignites Controversy With Theory On Why Russia Invaded Ukraine
Former Hollywood action star Steven Seagal has prompted controversy after he blamed the invasion of Ukraine on something surprising.
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Steven Seagal is no stranger to controversy. Over the course of his checkered, often direct to DVD career, the 1990s action star has frequently delved into conspiracy theories (and even wrote co-wrote a novel about some of them). More recently, though, he yet again waded into complex political matters by telling Fox News Digital that he believes that the current war in Ukraine (prompted by the unilateral invasion of that nation by the Vladimir Putin-led Russian Federation) is the work of a shadowy, vague “entity” that is prompting the two countries to be in conflict. Never mind that Ukraine and Russia have a literally centuries-long history of conflict, and this is by no means the first time Russia has attempted to (or successfully) annexed the country by violent means. Here’s what Seagal said:
Most of us have friends and family in Russia and Ukraine…I look at both as one family and really believe it is an outside entity spending huge sums of money on propaganda to provoke the two countries to be at odds with each other.
Puttin aside the fact that most families do not invade the living space of each other and cause hundreds of civilian deaths, this sort of statement from Under Siege 2: Dark Territory star Steven Seagal is in keeping with the misinformation campaign being pushed by Russia. The Russian media has always been on thin ice under the Putin regime, but the opening of a new conflict with Ukraine has caused a severe new crackdown. At the same time, the Kremlin is persistently releasing misleading and often completely incorrect information about their strikes on Ukraine (including civilian targets like hospitals and residential buildings). It is also a hallmark of conspiracy theories that there is some mysterious, unknown, yet incredibly wealthy and powerful organization attempting to bring about chaos in the world. At the risk of editorializing, the world has plenty of chaos on its own without any shadowy cabals doing their thing.
Steven Seagal has been a citizen of the Russian Federation since 2016, and is an outspoken admirer and support of Vladimir Putin. He previously supported Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and even performed benefit concerts for it in his capacity as a blues musician. In 2018, Putin appointed the star of Prince of Central Park a special envoy to the United States, with the specific task of improving relations between the two nations. Given the current frosty state of communications between The White House and The Kremlin, it is safe to safe that Seagal has not done very well at this particular task. To be fair, US-Russia relations are at perhaps the lowest point since the height of The Cold War, so it might not entirely be on the Aikido expert from Lansing, Michigan.
During Steven Seagal’s heyday in the 1990s, he was one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood. His outspoken nature and claims to be able to beat up essentially everyone in history did not make him a popular figure (and once prompted Jean-Claude Van Damme to challenge him to a fight in Sylvester Stallone’s backyard). His extensive history of sexual assault allegations also tarnished his reputation, and he has not had a theatrically released film since 2018. However, he has become a popular pundit for Fox News, and will likely remain so for at least the foreseeable future.
