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From Paris with love: Depardieu votes in Russian election

A video grab made from footage shot by Ruptly video news agency on Monday, shows French-Russian actor Gerard Depardieu casting his ballot as he votes during Russia's presidential election at the Russian Embassy in Paris. - AFP
PARIS - One of Russia's most famous citizens, French film star Gerard Depardieu, joined the millions who cast ballots in Monday's presidential election. Depardieu, a friend of President Vladimir Putin who presented him with a Russian passport in 2013 during a tax row between the actor and French authorities, voted at the Russian embassy in Paris. The embassy tweeted a picture of the 69-year-old, wearing a coat with fur trim and sunglasses perched on his head, popping his ballot in the box. Gerard Depardieu voted in the Russian presidential election at a polling station at the Russian embassy in France. Come!, it tweeted, urging other Russians in France to follow suit. A video of the moment, tweeted by a reporter from Russian broadcaster RT, was widely circulated on French news sites, where it triggered a tide of mostly contemptuous responses. I don't like insults but for me this man is a sellout, one person tweeted in French. Another posted a GIF of a man vomiting. Depardieu caused an uproar in 2012 when he declared he would hand back his French passport and move to Belgium to avoid a tax hike by the then Socialist government. His popularity slumped further after he accepted a Russian passport - and a bear hug - from Putin. The larger-than-life star of Cyrano de Bergerac and the Asterix & Obelix franchise, who is still a French citizen, has since become a staunch defender of the Kremlin's policies, including its annexation of Crimea. - AFP