The Russians did not believe in Depardieu's sincerity

The “tax escape” of actor Gerard Depardieu from France and his unexpected receipt of Russian citizenship caused a wave of discussions in Russia. Does Depardieu really love Putin and Russia or is he being disingenuous? Will he live here or return to Europe? In the end, will she agree to work in Saransk or continue to act in big films?

The All-Russian Center for Public Opinion Research (VTsIOM) conducted a survey regarding Depardieu’s Russian passport and his unexpected appearance in Mordovia. It turned out that the Russians were closely monitoring Depardieu’s movements and citizenships and were not averse to discussing the sensational story in detail. Only residents of small towns and villages, as well as young respondents (from 18 to 24 years old), did not know that Depardieu replaced Paris with Saransk.

35% did not experience any emotions regarding the news of Depardieu receiving a Russian passport. Only 22% were surprised by this. 18% were interested in the news. Only 9% of the total number of respondents felt proud of the country. The other 9%, on the contrary, were annoyed by the appearance of a new compatriot.

42% of respondents (the most popular version) believe that obtaining Russian citizenship is an opportunity for Depardieu to escape taxes. And only 10% explain this with love for Russia. The rest consider his action a PR move (5%), shocking (4%), etc. 24% could not guess the motives of the French actor.

47% of respondents welcomed Putin’s decision to present Depardieu with a passport (57% of them are supporters of United Russia and residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg). 39% considered the president’s action to be wrong (most of them are the electorate of A Just Russia and residents of small towns).

43% do not believe that Depardieu will live in Russia. 21% believe that the actor will live in Russia only for a while and then leave. Only 5% of respondents are sure that the actor will permanently move to Russia.