Strong ambassador

American film actor Stephen Sigal was appointed special representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry on the issues of Rosiysk-American humanitarian ties, according to the FB page of the department.

"We are talking about a socio -political position that does not imply a monetary reward. The very case when folk diplomacy is found with traditional diplomacy. In international practice, you can draw parallels with the functions of the UN good will," the Foreign Ministry explained. Sigal was instructed to engage in "assistance in the further development of Russian-American relations in the humanitarian sphere, including interaction in the field of culture, art, public and youth exchanges, and so on."

In August 2014, Sigal performed in the annexed Sevastopol at the Bike show of the Prochremlin Motokokluba Wolves and received a T-shirt with a portrait of Vladimir Putin as a gift from the leader of the club Alexander Zaldostanov. In September 2015, the director met with Putin during the president’s visit to the Far Eastern Island of Russian. In November 2016, Sigal received a Russian passport . In May 2017, it became known that the actor was banned from entering Ukraine for five years.

In 2013, speaking at a concert in honor of the 195th anniversary of the Terrible, Sigal called Ramzan Kadyrov “brother” and “great leader”. The director expressed hope in the future "to become part of the Chechen Republic."