MOSCOW (AP) — French actor Gerard Depardieu has hit a dance floor in Russia's predominantly Muslim Republic of Chechnya to perform the region's highlander dance.
Depardieu, who has been at the center of a heated debate over tax exiles in France, in January received a Russian passport from President Vladimir Putin. On Saturday he officially became resident of Saransk, a city of 300,000 about 640 kilometers (400 miles) east of Moscow.
Depardieu flew to Chechnya’s capital Grozny late Sunday and was treated to a lavish dinner by Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been ruling Chechnya with an iron fist since 2004. The two men also hit the dance floor for the highlander dance, known as lezginka.
Kremlin-backed Kadyrov is a warlord’s son who has been accused of grave rights abuses.
