Snowden has left the airport....

[MADem]

Source: WCVB CH 5 Boston

Edward Snowden has gotten Russian asylum



NSA leaker Edward Snowden has left the Moscow airport, entered Russia and been granted one-year temporary asylum, according to reports Thursday.

Snowden’s lawyer confirmed that he left, the BBC and The Associated Press said.

“I have just handed over to him papers from the Russian Immigration Service. They are what he needs to leave the transit zone,” Snowden’s Russian legal representative Anatoly Kucherena told Interfax, according to RT.com, which also reported that he has been granted a one-year temporary asylum.

The Russian news site also reported that Snowden left the airport about 30 minutes before his refugee status was announced for an undisclosed location, which will remain secret.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/edward-snowden-moscow-airport-russia-95042.html#ixzz2ajfNLYse

Read more: I just heard that reported on WCVB CH 5 Boston--will find a link.

[Enrique]

1. this map might be helpful

[MADem]

2. The report said he could stay if he kept his mouth shut, and he had a one year visa.

I don't think he'll be so lucky as to go from one airport to another!

He'll probably end up in a refugee center, unless his lawyer allows him to couch surf or something....

[totodeinhere]

11. News reports have it that he is free to go where he wants to in Russia.

As you know that Wikileaks has had a fund raising campaign on his behalf so there should be sufficient funds to support him for the time being. He will probably rent an apartment in some discreet location. I doubt if he will end up at a refugee center.

[MADem]

18. It might not be up to him--see post seventeen, the link there... nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Very unlikely - he's allowed to stay where he wants

Someone will give him somewhere to live, even if it just Wikileaks.

Today, Thursday 1st August at 15:50 MSK, Edward Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia. He left Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow with WikiLeaks staffer and legal advisor Sarah Harrison who has accompanied him during his 39 day stay in the transit zone and continues to do so. Ms Harrison has remained with Mr Snowden at all times to protect his safety and security, including during his exit from Hong Kong. They departed from the airport together in a taxi and are headed to a secure, confidential place.

http://wikileaks.org/Statement-on-Snowden-s-Successful.html

A refugee centre is hardly 'secure and confidential'. A publisher would also be willing to pay for somewhere to stay as an advance on a book, too. I expect his father would be happy to pay for it too - he had the money to hire a lawyer.

[MADem]

17. Do you have a link that supports that assertion? All I've seen is stuff like this:

http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-snowden-refugee-center/25059935.html

A Russian migration service official says that U.S. intelligence-program leaker Edward Snowden could be relocated to a refugee center somewhere outside of Moscow if his application for temporary asylum in Russia is approved.

Olga Kirillova, head of the Moscow branch of the Federal Migration Service (FMS), said on July 29 that there are no appropriate refugee facilities in the capital....
On July 28, Vladimir Volokh, head of the FMS's Public Council, said he did not believe it would be safe for Snowden to move freely around Russia if he was granted asylum....

[totodeinhere]

19. According to his Russian lawyer he can live anywhere he wants in Russia.

I put him in a taxi 15 to 20 minutes ago and gave him his certificate on getting refugee status in the Russian Federation. He can live wherever he wants in Russia. It's his personal choice.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2382495/Snowden-finally-leaves-Moscow-airport-Russia-grants-asylum-country-year.html#ixzz2ajur8odQ

[MADem]

22. Your link also says he will only be allowed to stay in "designated" places, though:

That "lawyer" of his is Putin's KGB buddy. I trust him as far as I can throw him! He's the one who delivered the copy of "Crime and Punishment" to Snowden.

Snowden faces living under strict curbs imposed by the Russian security agencies even though he has been allowed to move from his hideaway in an airport transit zone....The runaway's movements will initially be strictly curtailed, but President Vladimir Putin has denied his intelligence services are seeking secrets known to the former contractor for the National Security Agency.

...Vladimir Volokh, the head of the public council of the Russian Federal Migration Service, insisted: ‘He will only be allowed to stay in places designated by Russian law enforcement agencies.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2382495/Snowden-finally-leaves-Moscow-airport-Russia-grants-asylum-country-year.html#ixzz2ak1Mddpv


Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose?

[totodeinhere]

24. Yes but I was providing that link so that you will know where we are getting it from when we

intimate that he can stay where he wants to in Russia. We are quoting his lawyer. Of course what will really happen to him is a matter of speculation at this point.

[ConcernedCanuk]

37. Of course Putin is going to have Snowden surrounded by security forces.

.
.
.

KGB or whatever.

Putin knows damm well the USA wants him dead, or in a torture scenario.

Also, Putin is probably curious as to who will come after Snowden first.

CIA? Black ops? Seals? USA hired mercenaries? (aka contractors) - etc.,

Obama does not have an idea, nor control over what the MIC does.

They'll try something nasty.

Putin be waitin',

and watchin'

CC

[MADem]

38. Or Viktor Bout's relatives.

Putin may just pave the way for people who want to come after him.

"Pssst....he's over there....here's a key to his flat; make sure you have him drugged and in your plane before dawn...."

Why do you think Putin particularly cares about him? He's using the guy.

[ConcernedCanuk]

40. "Why do you think Putin particularly cares about him?" - he doesn't.

.
.
.

But Putin absolutely hates the USA trying to tell him what to do.

So he gave the USA the finger,

And the World knows it.

CC

[revmclaren]

45. Putin tires of his toys VERY QUICKLY!

Snowden will be watching his back 24/7

Actually, feel a bit sorry for him. Those who will gain the most from all this are insulated from most of the danger.

Snowden...

[MADem]

56. No. He absolutely does care about Bout. Bout is a tough guy, and he knows many things.

Of course, Pootie doesn't want us to KNOW how badly he wants Bout, so he's throwing up a little chaff on that score. This is straight from VOR, which is (one of many) counterpart(s) to VOA, and I'll not be surprised in the slightest if Russia is angling for a twofer, or maybe even a THREE-fer deal:


http://voicerussia.com/radio_broadcast/70924886/118021410.html


And here's the other guy, the icing on the cake:

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_06_24/Konstantin-Yaroshenko-would-rather-be-hanged-than-live-out-20-year-prison-sentence-in-United-States-7028/

OK, I am going to assume that you actually clicked on those links and perused or even skimmed those articles, to get the flavor.

If you haven't, please do because it will help the next bit make sense.

Now, read THIS. And note the date--it's just a couple of days ago:

http://indrus.in/news/2013/07/30/russia_to_request_for_bout_and_yaroshenkos_extradition_once_again_27763.html

Russia’s Justice Ministry plans to file another request for extradition of businessman Viktor Bout and cargo pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, convicted in the United States after courts review of the appeal procedures, the ministry’s press service told Itar-Tass.

“Russia’s Ministry of Justice continues to look into extradition of Bout and Yaroshenko to Russia in order to serve their sentence here. New requests by Russia’s Ministry of Justice with American counterparts regarding extradition of Russian citizens will be filed after the appeal process in American courts,” the Ministry emphasized. Ministry of Justice representative explained that there is no need for Bout and Yaroshenko to express their agreement to the extradition in order to file another request. “At the same time, the convicts can reconsider extradition at any point of time before the issue is finalized”, the spokesperson clarified.

Bout, found guilty in November 2010 of arms smuggling conspiracy, has been sentenced by a New York court to 25 years in prison. He was arrested in Bangkok in March 2008 at a U.S. request and extradited to the U.S. in November 2010. He has been charged with masterminding the sale of a large shipment of arms. Four charges were brought against him: criminal conspiracy to kill US nationals, conspiracy to kill officials in public service, criminal conspiracy to purchase and sell antiaircraft missiles and criminal conspiracy to supply weapons to terrorist groups. The Russian citizen pleaded not guilty on all the points. .....

With NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden stranded in Moscow, suggestions were made to use the situation as leverage and exchange the American fugitive for Russian citizens - however, this scenario was deemed impossible by experts, including Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena.

Now, we know how "accurate" Anatoly has been to this point--he was the guy who said Snowden's application for asylum could take months, who laughed and brought clothes for Snowden as if he was going to be stuck in the airport for a long time, and who quite recently gave him Crime And Punishment as a gift.

Anatoly also served in the KGB with Pootie Poot. They are terribly CLOSE. He knows the end game.

If the Justice Ministry is filing again for extradition, Putin told them to do it. Russia is a country where they've historically been pretty good chess players (even if Pootie doesn't like the most famous one they've produced!).

Now, if that's not enough, perhaps there will be a THREE to one request. Please note the source of this broadcast--it's the Kremlin-subsidized (i.e., in Pootie's pocket) RT, which is the Voice of Putin, if not of Russia. USA has upped the stakes, and now it's Pootie's turn to get pissed. Yes, friends and neighbors, the Cold War is ON again! I never got one of those bullshit "Cold War" certificates that the Pentagon was handing out; and I suppose it's just as well, because that wasn't an ending, that was simply a brief truce, I think. We're back to the OLD days, with the added complication of open borders.

Anyway, have a peek at this (the whole article is worthwhile), and note TODAY's date:

http://rt.com/news/extradite-russian-national-panin-901/

Moscow rips into ‘vicious practice’ of extraditing Russian nationals to US


Moscow voiced outrage over the arrest of a Russian national in the Dominican Republic and his swift transfer to a US jail without Russia’s consent or knowledge last month. Moscow deemed Aleksander Panin’s extradition “unacceptable."

The incident, which transpired in June, only became known a month later when it turned out that the24-year-old programmer from the Russian town of Tver was wanted for cyber-crimes. According to Interpol, Panin may be part of a gang of hackers who targeted banks.

...There are dozens of cases similar to Panin’s, Russian diplomats say. The top priority for the next few days is to get official comment from the US officials in Washington.

"We have repeatedly told the US that if there are demands for our citizens, it is necessary to send relevant requests to the Russian law enforcement authorities on the basis of the 1999-bilateral agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal cases. However, this is still not being done," Zakharova said. ....On July 22, another Russian citizen, Dmitry Ustinov, was extradited to the United States, this time from Lithuania. He was allegedly engaged in smuggling night-vision goggles.....

Now, before anyone suggests I'm "propagandizing" or "apologizing" in favor of USA, please note the sources of these articles.

I'm simply looking at tea leaves, here, and remembering other historic trades; this doesn't seem as clear or straightforward as some people might believe.

If I were Snowden, I'd run like hell to an embassy, preferably one with an interior courtyard so he can get a little sun, and plead for asylum. The guys running up behind him and throwing a gunnysack over his head might not be thugs working for CIA, or Bout's relatives looking to make an extrajudicial deal, but KGB FSB personnel operating under the specific orders of their President.

[revmclaren]

44. Watched by drones too!

Yes...Russia has drones as well. They will have a full combat version by 2014 and you can be assured Putin will NOT have any problems using them on his own people or enemies in other country's.



(edited for spelling)

[ConcernedCanuk]

70. USA taught him well . .

.
.
.

what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

USA had the first nukes, and USED them - on defenseless citizens -

So - those who could, and still can, are scrambling to deter the USA by having or developing their own nukes.

The big kerfuffle about Iran is a smokescreen - Iran ain't gonna attack anyone, especially not Israel who had over 200 nukes decades ago with the USA's assistance and blessing.

Iran wants to be left alone, just like North Korea.

They want DETERRENCE - everyone watches the USA bomb the shit out of whomever they feel like it.

No way they can hurt the USA or Israel in any real sense - they want the USA to know, if ya poke me, I'm gonna poke back.

And correct me if I'm wrong, was it not the USA that initiated killing from afar with drones operated by Nintendo Pilots?

Of course, other nations will follow.

No surprise there.

CC

[revmclaren]

83. REALLY....?????

Did you actually live through the cold war??? I did. Same people in charge that were there before.
New name...same government. Iran wants to be left alone? And North Korea? Really????


Russia GOOD....

US bad....????


Telescope vision sonny!

You do know that we came within 2 min of nuclear war with RUSSIA in 1992 AFTER the fall of the Soviet Union, right? And how about those sleeper spys a few years ago. And look at all the human rights advances...NOT! Yeah, they have given up the old ways.

Do you Actually believe Iran wants Nuclear power to help its people?

And North Korea only wants to be best buds with the rest of the world. They just think threats and blackmail of starting world war 3 is just good clean fun.

And the only reason any of the countries you have listed haven't used unmanned weaponized drones on their own people or other countries yet is that they are behind on the technology, NOT because they are morally superior governments! ALL have been trying to build their own drone programs for years and will do so as soon as they can. Google is a wonderful tool that will keep you from looking like an ignorant fool!

You my friend are now the first person to go on my ignore list for pure irrational statements.

Bye Bye...

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. "*could* be relocated..."

"he did not believe..."

Yeah, my link is what I gave - he left in a taxi. Not an official bus taking him to where he has been told to go, like a refugee centre. He left with the woman from Wikileaks, who will not be able to stay at a refugee centre.

But if you want more:

A Russian lawyer said he had handed Snowden a document from Russia which enabled him to leave the airport for a safe location which would remain secret, and that he could now work and travel freely in the country of 142 million.

State television also showed a picture of him getting into a grey car at the airport driven by a young man in a baseball cap. Snowden wore a backpack and a blue button-up shirt.

"He is the most wanted man on planet Earth," Snowden's lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told Reuters. "He has to think about his personal security. I cannot tell you where he is going."

"He can live wherever he wants in Russia. It's his personal choice," he said.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/08/01/uk-usa-security-snowden-russia-idUKBRE9700NC20130801

[MADem]

21. I will believe Reuters before I believe Wikileaks--they've been known to adjust the truth to suit

themselves.

Time will tell how much "freedom" he actually has.

[99th_Monkey]

25. Snowden himself, doesn't need to say or do anything

As he's already given all the information to third parties, to release at their
own discretion, as I understand it.

[Ellipsis]

9. hahahahahhah...

...no inside joke there.

[KittyWampus]

12. I'd post the appropriate rejoinder but delicate flowers would hide the thread.

[HardTimes99]

15. LMFAO! - nt

[backscatter712]

16. That never gets old!

[DesMoinesDem]

53. Snowden left in a car, not a plane. That map is no help to him.

[NealK]

3. Thanks for the info.

Please post any update.

[marble falls]

4. I am very glad he released the information he released. I am disapointed he did it the way he did...

and becoming the center of the story.

[MADem]

5. Well, he is now subject to Russian law. That might not be such a good thing for him.

Time, as it always does, will tell...

[marble falls]

6. I think you are correct. His adventure is not over. He's now a puppet used by two powers.

[NealK]

8. "He's now a puppet used by two powers."

I'm afraid that you are right about that.

[7962]

31. Hope he doesnt announce he's gay, then it'll be straight to jail!!

(no pun intended)

[marble falls]

49. No matter what it'll be a great reality show - living in airports in unfreindly nations. Title:....

"Ticket to Nowhere".

[cstanleytech]

46. I agree with you on some aspects.

Just wish he had kept his mouth shut to China on US efforts at gathering intelligence inside China.

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. Putin is smiling

.
.
.

Just waved the fickle finger of fate at the USA.

"whatcha gonna do now?"

CC

[NealK]

10. Yeah, Putin is having a lot of fun with this whole thing right now.

But eventually he'll get bored and who knows what will happen to Snowden? I really wouldn't like to be in his shoes. Nowhere to hide. The world have become a small village, to paraphrase Marshall McLuhan.

[MADem]

57. I think he is smiling through gritted teeth, actually.

My reasoning for this statement is contained here in this thread at post fifty six:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014554222#post56

[KittyWampus]

13. Elvis has left the building. So there really IS a Snowden.

[revmclaren]

23. Comrade Snowden now!

He will now get a very close look at what a REAL corrupt and restrictive government is like. Ah well... life is a learning experience. Too bad THEY wont let him write a book about it in Mother Russia.

[MADem]

27. It's unlikely they'll let him work in his chosen field, either.

Once a tattletale, always a tattletale.

He hasn't demonstrated "loyalty" up to now, so it will be interesting to see what kind of work he's able to land.

[revmclaren]

28. Not only that

but if Snowden gave all the NSA files to Greenwald for safe keeping and if Greenwald releases any part of them, Putin will blame Snowden (as he should as he is responsible for the stolen files) and ship him out of Russia faster than you can say nostrovia!

[MADem]

29. It looks like Obama won't be raising a Stoli in Moskva with Pootie this September.

Just as well--their equality stance is enough reason to avoid them!

[cstanleytech]

47. Why would Putin do that?

The deal was Snowden would keep his mouth shut not that Greenwald would and as long as Snowden keeps his end of the bargain and doesnt say anything further then Putin should keep his word to.

[revmclaren]

48. Because by Greenwalds own words he is supporting Snowden.

And if Greenwald has and releases any data now that can be DIRECTLY linked to Snowden, heads will roll...figuratively speaking. And by now Russian intelligence knows exactly what Snowden has. Put it this way... if you are extorting someone and you give the information to someone else who CONTINUES the extortion and the crime, Party one who gave the info is as much to blame as party two for the actual release of the info. And if party 2 is a journalist hiding behind free speech, well party one is going to take the full blame.

Putin is his own law!

If you dont think he will use Snowden while it suits him and punish him if he f$#ks him over (in his mind or in reality) then you dont know or havent even studied Russian politics and mindset.

Prison is prison whether it is a bare floor and bars or a luxury hotel that you cant leave unless escorted by your handler. Either way...Snowden is now Putins 'bitch'!

[cstanleytech]

51. I just dont see Putin reneging on the deal he made

just because Greenwald releases data he received prior to the deal Putin made with Snowden.
Unless something occurs to show that Snowden is in contact with Greenwald and discussing what to release and or when to release it.

[MADem]

58. I think if Pootie could get two of his very valuable assets back, plus a couple of

other "less important" ones, he could make a trade and still declare "victory." All he'd have to do is say "I milked that cow dry, Russian people, and returned it, useless to it's own barn....and look, I have rescued all these brave Russian citizens from the clutches of that evil American President!"

See here for more details: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014554222#post56

[Lugal Zaggesi]

35. Gerard Depardieu doesn't seem too worried about becoming Russian

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A9rard_Depardieu

He seems to like the flat tax rate of 13%, too.

[MADem]

36. He should be worried about pissing people off...he's in hot water already!!!!

At the same time, he's become a super-duper Putin cheerleader, as Pootie provides a swell environment for the One Percenters to keep their cash...

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/486977/20130705/gerard-depardieu-georgia-abkhazia-russia-putin.htm


Gerard Depardieu is at the centre of yet another political controversy after visiting Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia to meet the separatists' leaders - despite it being a crime in Georgia.

"Depardieu is a famous actor, who has recently received Russian citizenship. We think that he is not aware of what is happening in Abkhazia," said Georgia's deputy minister for reintegration issues, Ketevan Tsikhelashvili. "At the same time, he has violated the Law on Occupied Territories, which is punishable." ...... Depardieu moved to Russia on January, after he gave up his French nationality in a row over President Francois Hollande's plan for super-tax hikes for the wealthy.

He has since made more headlines for his behaviour than for his movies.

In February he came under fire after cosying up to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

The actor has been shooting Turquoise - also starring British actress Liz Hurley - in Grozny with the blessing of Kadyrov, who has been accused by human rights groups of overseeing kidnap, torture and murder of opponents.

The Academy Award winner also raised eyebrows for slamming Putin opponents such as feminist punk band Pussy Riot and chess champion Garry Kasparov.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

60. Oh no - raising eyebrows !

I bet you're just jealous - in his famous movie "Green Card", he was a Frenchman trying to become an American.




But in the real world, he became a Russian.

Not a Hollywood ending.
Boo hoo - doesn't everyone want to become an American ???

[MADem]

62. That was a charming film. He was brilliant in it.

You know, most people in this thread are having a civil discussion, despite differences of opinion.

Why do you feel the need to get personal with me, and make comments like Boo hoo - doesn't everyone want to become an American ???

I happen to like being an American, this is true, but I do understand the pull of home and hearth. I have many friends who are not American and who long for their homelands, even when their countries are troubled. As Dorothy said, "There's no place like home."

Of course, giving up one's heritage and homeland strictly to keep one's money? You DO understand that Depardieu left France, and renounced his French citizenship and his position in French society, SOLELY because he was being asked by that "awful Socialist President" Hollande to pay more in taxes? It's the same reason that Johnny Depp beat feet from his French paradise--it was all about the MONEY.

They both enjoyed the perks of French society, they just didn't want to pay their fair share. Depp could have gotten a decent deal in Russia, too, but the pull of home and hearth (and a cheap enough tax rate, and sanity over his continued box office draw) led him home. Depardieu, if you recall, and you probably don't based on your snark towards me, had a problem with pissing in an aeroplane cabin whilst very drunk (something the FAA frowns on, you know), so I'm guessing the Americans didn't want to take him on because he didn't display good citizenship habits. In short, his misbehaviour made him INELIGIBLE for citizenship.

So, yes, not quite a Hollywood ending, but probably not his first choice, either-- because he couldn't unring that wee-wee bell.

The bright spot, though, the Russians give the best tax breaks to their oligarchs. Cheerlead the one percent, if you'd like. Makes no difference to me!

And, ya know, I think you forgot the ending of that charming "Green Card" film. Spoiler ahead....click away if it will ruin it for you, now!!

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

A few days later, Georges invites Brontë to join him at the cafe where they first met. When she notices one of the immigration agents is seated nearby, she realizes Georges is being deported, and finally aware she loves him, tries to stop him from leaving. So Georges promises to write every day asking the same question "When are you coming Cherie?". Then, Georges is deported back to France, just as they have admitted their love for each other.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Card_(film)

Ooooh la la!

[Lugal Zaggesi]

64. Yes, I've seen the film - Depardieu is like a French DeNiro or Brando

"I always get that one wrong..."

Boo hoo - doesn't everyone want to become an American ??? is a generic statement for the thread. People move from country to country - not everyone wants to be an American. Why do people on this thread have to attack Russia just because Snowden is safe there for awhile before tying to make a run for his preferred country ?

I thought Cold War hysteria should have died down about 1992 - whatever happened to the Peace Dividend of the War on Communism ending ? Remember that ? Oddly enough, the National Security State has found a few hundred angry Muslim men to replace a vast Union of Soviets armed with thousands of hydrogen bombs - and increased Military spending to deal with them.

[MADem]

65. The Cold War didn't end. It just took a breather.

The Pentagon did, in actual fact, issue "Cold War Certificates" to servicemembers marking their service during the period, and drawing a line under the era. They were inefficient in their distribution of them, though, and just as well--they didn't mean a thing.

If Pootie had his way, he'd reunify the glorious USSR. He's not Santa, he ran the KGB.

As for Depardieu, he is an economic refugee. He just is cheap, and doesn't want to be taxed at a higher rate, and he couldn't find another country to take him because he has a history of misconduct. That's why he went to Russia with their swell 13 percent tax rate. He's not actually LIVING in that hellhole, you know--he's a "resident" of Belgium; that's fine with them, and that's fine with Pootie--so long as he gets his 'cut.'

In recent years, Depardieu has attracted attention from the media and legal authorities for his behavior. In August 2012, he was accused of assault and battery for punching a motorist in Paris.[11] In November 2012, he was arrested for driving while intoxicated after he fell from his scooter, and was found to have a blood alcohol level of 1.8 grams per litre, well above the French limit for driving of 0.5.[12]

He has been an official resident of Néchin, Belgium since 7 December 2012.[13] French prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault claimed the reason for the move was to avoid a looming 75% top rate of tax.[14] On 15 December 2012, Depardieu publicly stated he was handing back his French passport.[15][16] On 3 January 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an Executive Order granting Russian citizenship to Depardieu.[17] Depardieu soon returned the favor by attacking Putin's critics.[18]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A9rard_Depardieu

And then there was this infamous incident:

Legendary French actor Gérard Depardieu caused quite a scene on an airplane Tuesday night by urinating in the cabin in front of his fellow passengers after the crew told him he had to wait to use the toilet, according to multiple reports.

The Golden Globe winner, 62, was on a CityJet flight from Paris to Dublin that was delayed on the tarmac when he asked to use the bathroom. After being told he had to wait until takeoff, he reportedly relieved himself in the aisle.

"I will only confirm that he, in effect, urinated in the plane," a spokeswoman for the Air France-KLM subsidiary told AFP.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20519658,00.html

It doesn't take a genius to suspect that Gerard has a substance abuse problem.


America is also full of economic refugees--most "Canadian" actors are US passport holders because they don't want to pony up the dough that their fellow Canadians do to support the social programs sponsored by the Canadian government.

Your "boo hoo" statement might have been regarded as generic by me, were it not for your I bet you're just jealous opening salvo at the start of your post. That was rather personal, and you should just acknowledge that. I don't think you were addressing a chipmunk in your shirt pocket, now, were you? You were trying to be sharp with me, and there's really no need for that kind of thing.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

68. "If Pootie had his way, he'd reunify the glorious USSR. He's not Santa, he ran the KGB."

George H. W. Bush ran the CIA.
President Reagan's campaign manager, William Casey, became the Director of the CIA - how weird is that ?
Apparently spooks make good politicians and campaigners - something about lying well and smiling.

He's not actually LIVING in that hellhole, you know--he's a "resident" of Belgium;
That Wikipedia claim is from a 17 December 2012 BBC article - that was before Depardieu became a Russian citizen:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20760572

You can see Depardieu is living in Russia by following the news reports about his wild life:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/06/25/us-russia-depardieu-idUKBRE95O0U720130625
MOSCOW | Tue Jun 25, 2013
(Reuters) - French actor Gerard Depardieu was involved in a car accident in Moscow on Tuesday when a taxi rammed into a Mercedes carrying him in his adopted homeland of Russia, where he is filming a movie.

Perhaps you are not "jealous" of people not becoming American citizens, and choosing other countries, but you definitely have some emotion involved - "wounded pride" ? What did you feel when Bobby Fischer renounced his American citizenship ? Why do people at DU care that Ed Snowden might become Russian ?

What do you say about Jet Li becoming an American citizen for 20 years to help his film career - and then changing to Singaporean citizenship so that his kids get a better education and live in a safer country ?

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gVdXscpmoldL3yHRpL7CKBxO8RcQ?docId=CNG.95111380dfbe35f8a08d6124c5e915e8.1b1

[MADem]

69. You're playing the But But game.

But George Bush (who served one term; yeah, we love spooks as leaders...not)....but Bill Casey (who's dead and was NEVER the President of our country). That's ancient history. from a time when the Cold War wasn't regarded as over by some.

Pootie games the system and trades off the Presidency/Prime Minister jobs with a stoolie to retain power.

And you know, I find it very odd, after I pointed out how you get personally insulting when you try to make your points, and how that isn't the way to advance an argument--you DO IT AGAIN. Let's review your curious comments:

Perhaps you are not "jealous" of people not becoming American citizens, and choosing other countries, but you definitely have some emotion involved - "wounded pride" ? What did you feel when Bobby Fischer renounced his American citizenship ? Why do people at DU care that Ed Snowden might become Russian ?

Look, it doesn't bother me if Snowden wants to become Russian. or Venezuelan, or Icelandic. Mazeltov to him! Nice work if he can get it!

And Bobby Fischer? Perhaps you do not understand that he was an inveterate, hate-filled RACIST? Why in the WORLD would you think, for even a half-second, that I of all people would be "sad" to lose that nutter to Iceland? I wish Iceland would take ALL our hate-filled racists and keep them up there on that godforsaken island in the north Atlantic--it would certainly improve our society, to the grave detriment of theirs. You're clearly grasping at straws if he's your premiere example.

And again, I don't care what Jet Li chose to do. I don't line up to see his movies, I don't care about him. Live life and enjoy!

What is up with your repeated, personal accusations of "jealousy?" You don't see anything a bit "off" about your false and rather pathetic insistence along these lines? And you keep doubling down, with stupid examples, like you're playing out an "Ah HA!" moment when all you're doing is embarrassing yourself further.

You just don't have your facts in order.

People who don't have an argument do try to focus the discussion on the person with whom they are conversing, and that is what you are doing.

It's quite transparent, your effort.

As for your assertion that Gerard is "living" in Moscow, he isn't. He was FILMING A MOVIE there--as your very own citation states. He has moved to BELGIUM, where he is a resident.

Talk about prejudices--I used to have neighbors who were Syrian. Yes, they were Syrian...and they were RESIDENTS of the USA!!! They actually HELD a PASSPORT that didn't MATCH their country of residence.

Apparently this is a tough concept for you to grasp? As someone who lived in a number of countries down the years, I don't have a hard time understanding being a resident of a country other than America, and holding the passport of USA. I've done it for half my fairly long life.

Here, some light reading for you--Gerard has a 'business' in Belgium, you see--one he set up AFTER he got his Russian citizenship:

Gerard Depardieu sets up investment firm in Belgium
Actor Gerard Depardieu, accused by the French government of trying to dodge taxes, has set up an investment company in neighbouring Belgium where taxes on wealth are far lower than in his homeland.

Official documents filed on March 8 show that the star of the films Cyrano de Bergerac and Asterix had set up a company that will invest in other companies.
Holding 2712, a reference to his birthday on December 27, is based in the Belgian border town of Estaimpuis, just over a kilometre from Nechin, the village where he recently bought a house.
Nechin, a short drive from the French border, is home to some 2,800 French people including the Mulliez family, owners of the French hypermarket chain Auchan and Decathlon sports stores.
Mr Depardieu has had a public row with the French government over tax, accusing it of penalising success.
Belgian residents do not pay wealth tax, which in France is now levied on individuals with assets exceeding €1.3bn (£1.1bn), nor do they pay capital gains tax on the sale of shares.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/tax/9926944/Gerard-Depardieu-sets-up-investment-firm-in-Belgium.html

Try to not be too disappointed that Russia is not Gerard's only love, now (see how it is when people get "personal?" Do you like being characterized? If not, you should stop doing it to others.)

The star announced in November he was moving abroad after President François Hollande's Socialist government sought to impose a 75 percent tax rate on incomes over one million euros.

He took up residency in Belgium and was granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin.

The decision sparked controversy, as has as his self-avowed friendships with Putin and Chechnya's strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Depardieu recently told a French newspaper he considered himself a "citizen of the world" and said he was applying for an Algerian passport and hoped eventually to have citizenship in seven countries.

http://www.thelocal.fr/20130729/court-fines-depardieu-4000-for-drunk-driving

And, in the event none of those citations are sufficiently dispositive, here's the coup de grace (to use a French phrase):

Belgian and French press reports Monday quoted officials in Belgium confirming the 64-year old performer has moved into a house he bought in the village of Néchin, just one mile from the French border. Speculation is rampant that the move has allowed Depardieu to shift his legal residence to Belgium to dodge the 75% tax on income over $1.27 million that Socialist President François Hollande will apply as of 2013 as part of his response to France’s debt crisis. The nation salutes your fiscal patriotism, Gégé.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/12/10/cest-it-aint-so-gege-french-actor-depardieu-reportedly-seeks-tax-refuge-in-belgium/#ixzz2apYIy1xt

http://www.scotsman.com/news/world/gerard-depardieu-ducks-court-to-broker-deal-to-play-strauss-kahn-1-2725346

FRENCH film star Gérard Depardieu failed to show up in court to face drink-driving charges yesterday as he continued a controversial world tour that has seen him set up an alleged tax haven home in Belgium and pick up a passport in Russia.

The actor’s lawyer said he had missed the hearing in Paris because he was now in Montenegro, holding meetings over a film in which he will play disgraced former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

His non-appearance at court means the case will turn into a full trial – guaranteeing yet another day in the spotlight for Depardieu ....It could also lead to the 64-year-old star of Cyrano de Bergerac and Asterix and Obelix getting a tougher sentence if convicted – in theory up to two years in prison.

....Depardieu hit the headlines last month after he bought a house over the border in Belgium, spurring accusations he was trying to dodge a proposed new tax on millionaires.

French premier Jean-Marc Ayrault called the move “pathetic” and unpatriotic.

Last week, Depardieu accepted a Russian passport, provoking even fiercer charges that he had abandoned his homeland.

You should check your facts before you get condescending and personal with people. Google isn't a pay service. You were completely wrong about Monsieur Depardieu.

Have a nice day.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

71. You seem to be having trouble with dates today

In your link to the Scotsman article,
http://www.scotsman.com/news/world/gerard-depardieu-ducks-court-to-broker-deal-to-play-strauss-kahn-1-2725346

although it says "Friday 2nd August 2013" underneath the logo, is actually 'Published on the 09 January 2013 00:00' - see that blue rectangle ? Which renders your carefully copied/pasted text some seven months out of date.

You also include a Time NewsFeed article dated from Dec 10, 2012 - why would this article confirm that Depardieu is now living in Russia, since it was written before the Frenchman got his passport from Putin in January 2013 ?

You also seem to think that having a company in Belgium has something to do with where the owner has to live - it doesn't. Just as an American can own a company in Indonesia without living there.

Congratulations - here you find a fairly recent article:
http://www.thelocal.fr/20130729/court-fines-depardieu-4000-for-drunk-driving
Published: 21 Jun 2013
Notice that it mentions Depardieu has missed his court dates - in France. Because he's not IN France, he's in Russia, because he's a Russian citizen now. Dépardieu was fined €4,000 and had his driver's license suspended for 6 months. I don't think he really cares about his French driving license these days. Because he's in Russia.

Here's an even more recent article missed with your free Googling:
http://www.english.rfi.fr/europe/20130629-depardieu-praises-russia-its-democracy
Saturday 29 June 2013

French actor Gerard Depardieu said on Saturday that he had chosen to live in Russia for the “liberty and democracy” it provides, causing a few raised eyebrows at the Moscow Film Festival.

“I’m very proud to be here,” Depardieu said during a press conference on the final day of the festival. “I jumped on the occasion to accept this passport. You can’t change your nationality but you can choose a state, a life, liberty and democracy, as I see it.”

Depardieu was at the festival to present the closing film, Rasputin, in which he plays the title role.

“When I talked about democracy in Russia, all the other countries laughed. Let them laugh. Here, there’s five percent unemployment while in France there’s 12 percent.”

Depardieu was given Russian nationality in January by President Putin, after his attempt to move to Belgium, seeking tax exile, fell through.

Sounds like he's happy to be in Russia. Where he lives and works. Too bad that attempt to move to Belgium fell through.

Yes, he's filming a movie in Russia - did you know Gerard Depardieu is an actor ? They do these things.
Here's the movie he's making with Elizabeth Hurley, Turquoise:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2940280/
Release Date: December 2013 (Russia)
Filming Locations: Moscow, Grozny, Chechnya - Russia

Sounds like he's enjoying his new country, and still working hard at age 64. At only 13% tax rate, perhaps he'll buy a few more Belgian companies. Or American.

Here's a glimpse at his new Russian movie, if you're interested:

http://www.sctimes.com/VideoNetwork/2431058403001/RAW-VIDEO-Lights-Camera-Grozny-Depardieu-Shoots-Action-Movie-in-Chechnya

Be sure to see his other Russian film, just out last month, Rasputin:


I'm having a nice day - hope you are too.

[MADem]

73. Here are some dates for you...

January 03 2013 11:45 AM


The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, signed a decree on Thursday granting Russian citizenship to the movie star, according to the Kremlin website.

...Depardieu, who purchased a property in Néchin, Belgium, located just across the French border, late last year, reportedly still plans to settle there.

...In the unlikely event that Depardieu takes up Russian citizenship, he would be able to physically reside in Belgium.

Georges Dallemagne, head of Belgium's parliamentary committee that oversees naturalizations, told Reuters: "As a Russian he could certainly remain in Belgium, he would possibly need the necessary visas but for a short period he could stay here. He would need to request a residency permit for longer stays but as a Russian he should be able to get that. It depends on certain factors.”

http://www.ibtimes.com/gerard-depardieu-russia-love-991482

http://metro.co.uk/2013/01/07/gerard-depardieu-has-gaul-to-leave-new-homeland-after-just-24-hours-3342128/
Gérard Depardieu has gaul to leave new homeland after just 24 hours
Monday 7 Jan 2013 7:30 pm

Tax exile Gérard Depardieu’s stay in his newly adopted homeland of Russia has been brief. Just 24 hours to be precise.

On Sunday, the 64-year-old Astérix and Green Card star looked set to start a new life in the Russian republic of Mordovia.....He subsequently then flew to Russia, where he met president Vladimir Putin and received citizenship papers.

Depardieu had seemed pretty satisfied with his new home, saying at the time: ‘I am very happy, it’s very beautiful here – beautiful and soulful people live here.’

But in a move viewed as deeply cynical in France, he left the country for Switzerland on Sunday night.

He is attending Fifa’s golden ball award ceremony in Zurich with no sign he plans to return to Mordovia.

Gerard Depardieu says he remains French despite new Russian passport
Actor Gerard Depardieu has denied that he accepted a Russian passport to escape the taxman in France, and said that while he may also seek Belgian nationality, he is still French.
1:04AM GMT 08 Jan 2013
Depardieu's first public remarks since acquiring a Russian passport on Saturday suggest that his threat last month to turn in his French passport was a bluff.
"I have a Russian passport, but I remain French and I will probably have dual Belgian nationality," he said in the interview with the sports channel L'Equipe21. "But if I'd wanted to escape the taxman, as the French press says, I would have done it a long time ago."
Depardieu, 64, is one of France's best known actors, has appeared in more than 150 films and has an international following. He has been at the centre of a heated debate over tax exiles as France's Socialist government looks to boost revenue with a hefty tax on the rich. Depardieu drew scorn and insults with his recent decision to move to neighboring Belgium, where taxes are less steep for the well-off.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/9786779/Gerard-Depardieu-says-he-remains-French-despite-new-Russian-passport.html

FEBRUARY 25, 2013


Senesael drove to the area’s main attraction, a sprawling estate called Château Poullet. He had been keeping the location of Depardieu’s house a secret, but when he passed by a smaller mansion—it was beautiful, with a faded pink façade, covered with vines—he gave a wink.

“During the season, there’s a little tram that goes around the village,” he said. “We could name it the Depardieu. Hopefully, he will give us permission to show his house.” In the boucherie, where Depardieu had bought sausages when he visited, a newspaper clipping was taped to the cash register: “GÉGÉ PLANS A SUMMER BARBECUE.”

Depardieu had been lying low since his Russian escapades. A few days before I visited Néchin, his lawyer, Hervé Temime, had received me in a grand office on the Rue de Rivoli. Temime, who also represented Roman Polanski, sat at a desk, in front of spectacular windows framed by bright-yellow velour curtains. His printer was filled with bright-yellow paper. Depardieu, he said, had been wounded by the fracas. “He thinks that the public reactions are disproportionate. He did not commit any infraction, he did not do anything illegal, he is a free man.

Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/02/25/130225fa_fact_collins?printable=true¤tPage=all#ixzz2asK2

0owP

BRUSSELS | Wed Mar 13, 2013 3:52pm IST
(Reuters) - Actor Gerard Depardieu, accused by the French government of trying to dodge taxes, has set up a company in neighboring Belgium where taxes on wealth are far lower than in his homeland.

Official documents filed on March 8 show that the star of the films "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Asterix" had set up a firm that would invest in other companies.


http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/us-france-tax-depardieu-idINBRE92C0B520130313

5 April 2013

Gerard Depardieu skips drink driving court hearing in Paris AGAIN as he makes a new movie in New York
64-year-old French actor risks maximum two years in prison and £3,500 fine
He is charged with drink-driving after coming off scooter in Paris last year
Star is filming new role as IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn in New York


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2304397/Gerard-Depardieu-skips-Paris-court-hearing-drink-driving-charges-films-New-York.html#ixzz2asf8P4JW

Posted: June 16, 2013

French actor Gerard Depardieu, who famously pulled up stakes in his home country for Belgium because of high taxes, says he is now actually a “citizen of the world.” Despite his well-publicized row with politicians, in an interview with French media Depardieu, 64, claims that the French public still loves him and the feeling is mutual. The French citizenry hold him in high regard, he claimed, because he’s “a rebel … who is sometimes drunk.” That same “hooligan” reputation is what caught the attention of Vladimir Putin, Depardieu suggested, who earlier this year issued the actor a Russian passport. The Cyrano de Bergerac star said he wants to acquire seven passports before all is said and done to help him avoid needing visas. In the meantime, as a part-time resident of France, he claims that he still coughs up 30 percent of his income in French taxes and that he is not a tax exile. That withstanding, he deemed France “almost a Bolshevik country” in part because of the scandal involving France’s ex-Budget Minister Jerome Cahuzac who was charged with fraud after it was discovered that he held a secret Swiss bank account. He even claimed that Russia enjoys a news media that is more free than its counterpart in France. The actor denied ever officially seeking citizenship in Belgium, however, but that he “was pushed (into becoming a semi-expatriate)” by high taxes. Depardieu added that “I know that I love the French people and that I have never left them. I was born here with nothing and for the last 30 years I have employed 100 people.”
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/763405/gerard-depardieu-says-hes-a-citizen-of-the-world/#Wd6x2reoQtOFduF1.99

Published June 21, 2013AFP

The star announced in November he was moving abroad after President Francois Hollande's Socialist government sought to impose a 75 percent tax rate on annual incomes over one million euros.

He took up residency in Belgium and was granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin. The decision sparked controversy, as have his friendships with Putin and Chechnya's strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Depardieu recently told a French newspaper he considered himself a "citizen of the world" and said he was also applying for an Algerian passport. He said he hoped eventually to have citizenship in seven countries.

In August, he was cautioned after punching a motorist who had forced him to swerve on his scooter, and in 2011 he generated global headlines when he tried to urinate in a bottle aboard a plane as it prepared to take off from Paris for Dublin.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/06/21/depardieu-fined-has-licence-suspended-over-drink-driving/#ixzz2asSoE9cB

Published: 26 Jul 2013 10:42 GMT+02:00 | Print version
France, a “champion of taxation” the study says, takes on average 56.61 percent of a French person’s salary in 2013.

This means the equivalent of months of earnings going straight into state coffers – or to be precise everyday up until Friday July 26th.

In calendar terms only the Belgians have to work longer in the year to pay off the tax man with their liberation day set for August 8th.

That might make interesting reading for actor and self-confessed tax avoider Gérard Depardieu who recently bought a house in Belgium so he could be out of reach of the French tax man.

http://www.thelocal.fr/20130726/french-celebrate-liberation-from-tax-man

The only time he's in Russia is when he's working on films or commercials. Otherwise, he's elsewhere. That's why he stays in hotels (aside from the fact that the apartment he was given way out in the boonies suffered smoke damage when a neighboring building went up in flames).

24 June 2013
He has been banned from driving for six months in his native France after falling off his scooter while drunk last autumn.
But just days later cinema star Gerard Depardieu was spotted zipping around on a mini-scooter outside his hotel in Russia.
The 64-year-old actor, who is in Moscow filming, was disqualified from driving in France last week after falling from his scooter last November then being taken to a police station drunk.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2347531/Gerard-Depardieu-zips-mini-scooter-Russia.html#ixzz2aslI6bPw

[Lugal Zaggesi]

74. Your most recent citation is from 26 Jul 2013

which says about Depardieu only:
http://www.thelocal.fr/20130726/french-celebrate-liberation-from-tax-man
That might make interesting reading for actor and self-confessed tax avoider Gérard Depardieu who recently bought a house in Belgium so he could be out of reach of the French tax man.

Gee - "recently" - as in about a year ago. Didn't work out, remember ?

And Russians are allowed to travel all over the world - as evidenced by their tennis players going to tournaments in many countries. This fact seems to startle you.
Star is filming new role as IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn in New York - in April. Quelle surprise.
Russians - hey, are they allowed to travel around the world like regular people ?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1042538-maria-sharapova-russian-star-fills-void-in-womens-tennis-at-australian-open

Now, for recent news about the big guy (this is August 2013, remember)

http://bg-daily-news.eu/showbiz/3449-gerard-depardieu%E2%80%99s-lifestyle-in-russia-%E2%80%93-a-lot-of-sex-and-alcohol
Gerard Depardieu’s lifestyle in Russia – a lot of sex and alcohol
July 22, 2013

Depardieu's official residence is in Saransk city, about 640 km away from Moscow. According to a recent article in the French magazine "Le Points" Gerard is a regular client in a club in Saransk, where he usually consumes liters of whiskey in the company of dozens of beautiful young Russian women.
Depardieu has problems with excessive alcohol consumption. As the Russian filmmaker Sergey Kalvarskiy comments on his blog, the French actor "drinks and then drives drunk, urinates in public areas on airplanes and recently has begun starring in Russian comedy shows. Moreover, his face is always red. This is certainly a true Russian! Welcome, Gerard!"

"This is certainly a true Russian!"
Well, Russians understand a drinking problem much better than Saudi Arabians, that's for sure.
Gerard is a regular client in a club in Saransk, where he usually consumes liters of whiskey in the company of dozens of beautiful young Russian women.
Looks like he enjoys his new home.

Work on your Google skills - you don't have to pay anything.

[MADem]

76. Of course they are "allowed" to travel all over the world, but way to miss the point I made.

First point--he didn't give up his French citizenship; he is just a tax exile to Belgium.

He maintains that he is a part time resident of France; probably during the times that he isn't "earning."

Second point--his "primary residence" is in Belgium.

Third point--He has a Russian passport (in exchange for touting Pootie) and gains tax advantages therefrom. Clearly, he knew he was going to do enough work in Russia (two films, commercials, a couple of appearances) to make having that passport worthwhile to gain the tax advantage for at least this tax year.

He probably wants to film in Algeria next year, which is why he's angling for the Algerian passport.

He may be a drunk but he is no fool.

I looked at that last link of yours--you know why I excluded it? The "illustration" from it is actually a shot from the film he is making in NY about DSK; it's garbage. Invented. Nothing to do with Russian women, everything to do with DSK's orgy habits.

You're easily taken in, aren't you? I think someone does need to work on their Google AND their judgment skills, certainly.

Next thing you know, you'll come up with an expose that Gerard is actually Batboy.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

78. You seem disappointed

that they used a stock photo of Depardieu and sexy women for the story about his being "a regular client in a club in Saransk, where he usually consumes liters of whiskey in the company of dozens of beautiful young Russian women".

Did you want an actual paparazzi photo of Gérard with actual beautiful young Russian women in that actual club in Saransk?

BTW, Gérard's new Russian home, in Saransk, the capital of the Republic of Mordovia, is about 370 miles east of Moscow - that's why he "stays in hotels" when he's filming in Moscow, which you seem to think implies that he doesn't live in Russia these days:

But just days later cinema star Gerard Depardieu was spotted zipping around on a mini-scooter outside his hotel in Russia.
The 64-year-old actor, who is in Moscow filming,

Remember that fine bit of Googling "evidence" for your argument?

You also seem to feel that his "primary residence" is in Belgium. For some unexplained reason. Possibly because he has a company there, among many companies Gérard owns.

Here's another one, coming soon:

http://www.alianzanews.com/309_hispanic-world/2058548_depardieu-to-open-restaurant-in-russian-city-where-he-lives.html
Depardieu to open restaurant in Russian city where he lives

Moscow, May 20 (EFE).- French actor Gerard Depardieu, a Russian citizen since early this year, is soon to open a restaurant in the city where he now resides, authorities in the Mordovia region said Monday.
"Depardieu told us that he will soon open a restaurant that aims to attract creative, enterprising people," Valeri Maresiev, information minister for the Russian Republic of Mordovia, told the Interfax news agency.
The actor went through the bureaucratic procedures Monday that are required to register as a businessman in Saransk, Mordovia's capital, some 600 kilometers (370 miles) east of Moscow.

Among his other projects in Russia, Depardieu is preparing to star in two movies about the North Caucasus, to be filmed in Chechnya and Moscow.
The award-winning actor compared Putin with Pope John Paul II and late French President Francois Mitterrand in a recent interview with the Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Depardieu, 64, left his native France last year to protest the imposition of a 75-percent tax hike on the wealthy, moving first to the Belgian border town of Nechin.

Everyone seems to realize that he tried to move to Belgium first, but it didn't work out.
Everyone but you.
He now resides in Saransk, 370 miles east of Moscow.
But he still travels a lot.

[MADem]

81. I can't help but notice how often you use the "You seem........." card.

Unfortunately, you are, again, wrong.

I'm not "disappointed" and I don't "seem to feel."

If Depardieu is not working on a film or project IN Russia, he's in NY filming, or he is in Belgium at his home, or France, or Switzerland or Brazil. He was gone from Russia within a day of getting that passport, he went to a FIFA presentation in Switzerland.

He doesn't stay in Russia unless he's working. He OWNS his chateau in Nechin. He has resident status there. He does not OWN that apartment in Saransk--it's just been offered to him as an "address" so he has a "home of record" for his Russian paperwork.

Feb 23 2013

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/23/gerard-depardieu-russian-citizen_n_2749455.html

Depardieu was registered at an apartment belonging to the relatives of his Russian friend, the head of the Gosfilmofond state film archive, Nikola Bordachev. It is not clear if Depardieu will actually live in the apartment, and he has no requirement to spend any particular amount of time there – though he promised to visit the city often.

Giving out apartment keys--to apartments that can be taken away--is not uncommon in Russia. These apartments are places for him to stay WHILE he is working. He's not "living" in Russia. That's why he stays in Moscow hotels.

• February 21. Depardieu received a residence registration in Saransk. However, he has not yet spent a night in his new apartment. He impressed with his knowledge of local history, likening himself to Yemelyan Pugachev, the chief of a peasant rebellion in the 18th century. He said he plans to open a bakery and café in the town.

• February 25. Depardieu was named an honorary citizen of Chechnya. He received the keys to a five-room apartment from Chechnya’s president Ramzan Kadyrov. In reply, Depardieu promised Kadyrov to make a film about Chechnya.

- See more at: http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/gossip/2013/03/20/saransk-the-russian-town-no-one-knew-about-until-gerard-depardieu-arrived/#sthash.RB4axgWE.dpuf

Good thing he wasn't living in that Chechen apartment--it caught on fire:

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2013/04/04/gerard_depardieus_new_russian_home_goe

Here he is in April, cancelling an appearance in Switzerland--note that the report says he has Russian citizenship and is DOMICILED in Belgium:

http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2013/04/24/depardieu-suisse-concert-lucerne-annule_n_3148783.html
Le comédien, qui vient d'acquérir la nationalité russe et d'élire domicile en Belgique, devait raconter L'Histoire du Soldat, un livret d'Igor Stravinsky au Centre culturel et des congrès de Lucerne, en Suisse centrale. L'annulation de la représentation est une décision commune à l'orchestre et à l'impresario de Gérard Depardieu.

Here's a paper with a picture from the DSK film, similar to the one illustrating your tabloid phony Batboy story: http://www.thelocal.fr/20130516/video-first-glimpse-of-depardieu-as-dsk

And then, there's this--which basically says what I said.

3 Aug 2013

http://www.purepeople.com/article/gerard-depardieu-de-retour-en-france-pour-le-ballon-rond_a125766/1
Il n'a plus tourné en France depuis son exil fiscal. Gérard Depardieu est de retour sur le territoire français pour y tourner un long métrage, provisoirement intitulé F 2014 . Un projet connu depuis quelques semaines et qui se concrétise déjà pour ce mordu de travail qu'est Gérard Depardieu. Depuis le début de la polémique transformée en affaire nationale (son départ et son passeport français qu'il veut rendre), l'acteur n'a mis les pieds que très rarement en France, préférant alterner entre New York (où il a tourné le sulfureux film d'Abel Ferrara, Welcome to New York) , la Belgique et la Russie, où il vit désormais, entre projets de restaurants et tournages très réguliers.

and this (that's day/month/year, i.e. yesterday):

Depardieu tourne à Paris
Publié le 03.08.2013, 07h35

Gérard Depardieu vient d’attaquer le tournage à Paris d’un film sur l’histoire de la Coupe du monde de football. L’acteur n’avait plus tourné en France depuis son exil fiscal. Il incarne Jules Rimet, le créateur de la Coupe du monde, dans cette saga dont le tournage se poursuivra en Suisse et au Brésil.

http://www.leparisien.fr/cinema/actualite-cinema/depardieu-tourne-a-paris-03-08-2013-3027971.php

And here--published just hours ago,samedi 03 août 2013 more of the same. He's filming in France now. He'll be off to Switzerland and Brasil before we know it.
http://www.ouest-france.fr/actu/actuDet_-Cinema.-Gerard-Depardieu-tourne-un-film-sur-la-Coupe-du-Monde_55257-2217549_actu.Htm

He may be a drunkard, but he's not stupid.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

84. You don't speak French well, do you

As my Parisian girlfriend used to say: "Americans suck at foreign languages." She spoke five languages.

3 Aug 2013
http://www.purepeople.com/article/gerard-depardieu-de-retour-en-france-pour-le-ballon-rond_a125766/1
Il n'a plus tourné en France depuis son exil fiscal. Gérard Depardieu est de retour sur le territoire français pour y tourner un long métrage, provisoirement intitulé F 2014 . Un projet connu depuis quelques semaines et qui se concrétise déjà pour ce mordu de travail qu'est Gérard Depardieu. Depuis le début de la polémique transformée en affaire nationale (son départ et son passeport français qu'il veut rendre), l'acteur n'a mis les pieds que très rarement en France, préférant alterner entre New York (où il a tourné le sulfureux film d'Abel Ferrara, Welcome to New York) , la Belgique et la Russie, où il vit désormais, entre projets de restaurants et tournages très réguliers.

and Russia, where he now lives,
Thanks for making my point.

Yes, he still works all over the world and owns properties all over - he's very wealthy.
Let me know if you find any paparazzi shots of him in that Club in Saransk while you Google-stalk him - and don't show me that cellphone shot of him butt naked with that Russian woman for a little fun while filming a movie, thank you very much...

Depardieu has to spend just 182 days per year in Russia to get his 13% tax rate - that's why he's filming so much in Russia these days. The rest of his time, he can pursue his other films, and even visit his friends in Nechin, Belgium. Why not ?

[BeyondGeography]

26. Meet the new boss

Worse than the old boss.

[Agnosticsherbet]

30. How fortunate he is to find asylum in this bastion of free speech and open, tolerant government...

I wonder if they would have let him in if he were gay.

[totodeinhere]

32. Better than returning to face the type of abuse that Bradley manning faced. n/t

[ConcernedCanuk]

42. yep

.
.
.

CC

[Lugal Zaggesi]

33. I bet President Obama wishes that

the US didn't grant asylum to all those Soviet and Russian criminals - er, Dissidents ? Freedom Fighters ? Gooddoers ? - over the last seven decades.

Makes Russia a bit unsympathetic this time around:

http://rt.com/news/us-russia-extradition-snowden-418/
Russian official slams US for turning down Moscow's extradition requests
Published time: July 22, 2013 12:51
Edited time: July 23, 2013 07:44

[MADem]

34. We have one spy they really, really want...

He's an arms dealer and he's in a US jail.

I've heard this proposed at other places besides a Russian propaganda site, but apparently it apparently has currency over there as well....

http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_06_23/Victor-Bout-s-brother-suggests-trading-Snowden-off-for-jailed-arms-dealer-0774/

[ConcernedCanuk]

39. Big difference between a spy and a whistle-blower methinks.

.
.
.

Snowden was not a plant from another nation - that's a spy,

nor do I think he is selling the information to an enemy.

He's outing the USA's lies to the World.

That's a whistle-blower IMO,

not a spy.

CC

[MADem]

41. Not to Pootie--his "spy" is worth more than our "whatever" IMO.

I wouldn't be surprised if it comes down to that kind of a swap.

Time will tell.

[revmclaren]

43. A difference? Not to Putin.

He's nothing but a 'Prize' AND a liability! Putin would trade him for political gain in a Moscow second. Hopefully Snowden wont dare embarrass Putin or Russia as he has done to the US and the President. If he does......




And Putin WILL blame Snowden if Greenwald releases any NSA info in Snowden's name.

Also

[we can do it]

50. Now if he would just leave DU

[MADem]

55. That is not going to happen, I fear.

I'll be honest, I'd rather people fought--even if they do so so bitterly, meanly and childishly, as some do--about Snowden, than about cigarette smoking, the Olive Garden, breast feeding or an invented outrage-du-jour that's so far off the main pike that we're hacking our way through deep brush.

Better we speak of real current events than trumped-up ones.

If it's really bothering you, though, you can hide all keyword "SNOWDEN" threads with just a click or two, or you can hide threads individually by clicking the X at the end of the thread title. I don't use the latter tool often, but I have found it useful on rare occasion.

[we can do it]

59. I agree, I tried hiding the Snowden threads, but he is not always in the title.

I should be spending more time in my garden this time of year anyhow.

[MADem]

63. It's a start, anyway.

If you find yourself in a situation where you feel your gears being ground (to reference Peter Griffin), just back out and click--it's the pause that refreshes!

I don't mind differences of opinion at all, so long as people are civil. You can often learn something from a person with an opposing view. The minute folks get into the "You must be a ....." because of an opinion difference, though, that's when my estimation of them goes way down. If it gets too nasty, I'm backing out and clicking the little "x" box!

Gardening is good, too! Wish my back would cooperate! I could stand to do some yardwork!

[benld74]

52. So what happens when Snowden wants to leave Russia?

[MADem]

54. That is the eternal question, I should imagine...! nt

[Lugal Zaggesi]

61. He should have a new name, a Russian passport,

and quietly make his way to Venezuela.

If he's lucky, the CIA - or one of their stooges - won't explode his plane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubana_de_Aviaci%C3%B3n_Flight_455
Cubana de Aviación Flight 455 was a Cuban flight from Barbados to Jamaica that was brought down by a terrorist attack on October 6, 1976. All 78 people on board the Douglas DC-8 aircraft were killed in what was then the deadliest terrorist airline attack in the Western Hemisphere. Two time bombs were used, variously described as dynamite or C-4.

Evidence implicated several CIA-linked anti-Castro Cuban exiles and members of the Venezuelan secret police DISIP. Political complications quickly arose when Cuba accused the US government of being an accomplice to the attack. CIA documents released in 2005 indicate that the agency "had concrete advance intelligence, as early as June 1976, on plans by Cuban exile terrorist groups to bomb a Cubana airliner." Former CIA operative Posada Carriles denies involvement but provides many details of the incident in his book "Caminos del Guerrero" (Way of the Warrior).

Four men were arrested in connection with the bombing and a trial was held in Venezuela: Freddy Lugo and Hernán Ricardo Lozano were sentenced to 20-year prison terms; Orlando Bosch was acquitted because of technical defects in the prosecution evidence, and lived in Miami, Florida until he died on the 27th of April, 2011; and Luis Posada Carriles was held for eight years while awaiting a final sentence, but eventually fled. He later entered the United States, where he was held on charges of entering the country illegally but released on April 19, 2007.

Carriles was acquitted of all charges in the USA:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Posada_Carriles
On September 9, 2008 the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed the District Court's Order dismissing the indictment and remanded the case to the District Court. On April 8, 2009 the United States Attorney filed a superseding indictment in the case. Posada-Carriles' jury trial had been set for February 26, 2010 but it was announced on February 22 that it would be postponed for at least three months. Posada-Carriles' trial ended on April 8, 2011 with a U.S. jury acquitting him on all charges.

Peter Kornbluh of the National Security Archive has referred to him as "one of the most dangerous terrorists in recent history" and the "godfather of Cuban exile violence." In Miami however, where Posada currently resides, he is considered "a heroic figure in the hardline anti-Castro exile community."

So much for the USA extraditing criminals back to the country where they broke their laws - in this case, by killing 78 innocent people.

[KinMd]

66. USA should spread a rumor that Snowdon's a CIA agent spreadiing disinformation

[MADem]

67. Who knows? Maybe he is?

He's giving USA an opportunity to do some retaliative extradition of Russian spies from third countries--and we've been doing that quietly since Snowden popped up in Russia....so you never know.

I would laugh like hell if that turned out to be the case--but I think it's a very long shot. If he was, in fact, a double agent, a "loyal traitor," as it were, he's one of the best ones in modern history!

This one already went down: http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_07_31/Russia-s-Panin-extradition-from-Dominican-Republic-to-US-is-a-serious-concern-Foreign-Ministry-0761/

The extradition of Russian Alexander Panin from the Dominican Republic to the US arouses serious concern in Moscow, as such cases become an "unacceptable vicious trend" on the part of the American authorities, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Maria Zakharovasays in a commentary published on the Department’s website on Wednesday.
"We have, of course, a serious concern about the fact that at issue is the arrest of a Russian citizen on a warrant from the US in a third country. We find this practice that is already turning into a vicious trend totally unacceptable and inadmissible," the document says.
According to Zakharova, Moscow has repeatedly pointed out to the American side that in case of complaints against Russian citizens, the US should send inquiries to relevant law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation on the basis of the bilateral Treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters of 1999, but it is still not a usual practice.

They're furious about this 'un: http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_07_31/Moscow-will-harshly-react-to-possible-extradition-of-Dmitry-Ustinov-to-US-Dolgov-6195/

The lawyer of the Russian military equipment exporter, Dmitry Ustinov, has lodged an appeal with a regional Vilnius court against his transfer to the US, which accuses the Russian national of attempting to illegally export goods included on a list of US defense articles.
Mr. Ustinov faces a minimum jail term of 20 years if extradited to the US. Yesterday, the Lithuanian court received the legal complaint and is now expected to pass it to the Court of Appeal, the court’s spokesman told BNS on Tuesday.
The Russian was taken into custody at the Vilnius airport on April 15 at the request of the US Department of Justice. On July 22, the High Court ruled to hand Dmitry Ustinov over to the US.

Of course, every embassy has their spies, us included, but the Russians have more sleepers to go with their embassy spies than pretty much anyone else, I'd say--here's a recent example (this lot included the seductive Miss Chapman):

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/ten_suspected_russian_spies_due_EQvVMC8bdwcZbNTv3YANcJ

U.S. officials have said the scandal would not damage President Barack Obama's vaunted "reset" of ties with the Kremlin, and the country planned no diplomatic actions in response.

Russia initially reacted with fury but has since been at pains to prevent the scandal spiraling into a major diplomatic crisis and said it does not expect the incident to harm relations.

And here is a guy who spied for us, was exchanged for the ten Russian spies, and still wanted to go home and not "cut and run:"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Sutyagin
http://www.globaltimes.cn/world/europe/2010-08/563506.html

There are Russian spies (recently convicted) in our ally Germany, too, that Russia wants back: http://www.worldtribune.com/2013/07/16/sleeper-agents-planted-during-cold-war-are-sentenced-in-germany/

The couple was arrested in October 2011, after Germany learned about the two of them from the FBI, which in 2010 received information about a Russian network of illegals from the defector Aleksandr Poteyev.

Heidrun was detained in Michelbach, Germany while passing on another coded message, while Andreas was arrested on the same day in Balingen, where he worked and rented an apartment.

The two had reportedly moved a lot from one part of Germany to another. And at the time of their arrest Andreas worked at the international technology company Schunk Group and Heidrun was a housewife.

The investigation into their activities failed to reveal any answers as to their real identities. There had been reports that in case of emergency extraction they were to call the Russian embassy introducing themselves as “Sasha and Olga Rost”.

The only things known to authorities about the couple’s spy activities are between 2008 and 2011.

Their spy names were identified as Pete and Tina, while German journalists were more creative and nicknamed Andreas as “Mr. Bomb” and “Mr. Terror”, while Heidrun was known as the “alpine cow.”

This Massachusetts-based Russian spy (part of the large group, above) managed to ship a bunch of Russian spies to Australia: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/17888276/spy-linked-to-visa-rort-claims/

Ms Vavilova is described in Norilsk Nickel Australia documents as senior human resources manager. One of her roles was to make travel arrangements for more than a dozen Russian nationals who were sponsored for temporary visas in WA by Norilsk.

The company recently closed its Lake Johnston operations. _The Weekend West _has spoken to former employees who have accused the company of misusing temporary work visas to move unqualified Russian managers to Australia.

Though there is no direct evidence Norilsk used the 457 visa system to bring Russian intelligence agents to Australia, _The Weekend West _has established that last year Ms Vavilova helped a Russian mine worker enter WA after fleeing Botswana where he was facing minor charges. Botswana media later accused the man of being a Russian spy, which the company denied.

Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation declined to comment.

It's plain that the Cold War never really ended--we just haven't been talking about it as much.

[Sunlei]

72. so he needs a job now picking potatos or who supports him?

someone backed him. a 3 month job doesn't pay those flights and a life in another country.

[MADem]

75. Unless he's amazingly frugal (in an expensive locale like HI), he had to have help.

His stay at the airport had to be at least four hundred bucks a day, and that's only if he had one meal and a snack per day--they rip people off at that transit hotel.

[DonCoquixote]

77. Have fun Ed

I can appreciate what good you did, but I never did buy your Saul into paul act. You are an opprtitunist, and I am sure if you play your cards right, you will have that nice Apartment in Moscow. That being said, know well that appealing to the conscience of a nation only works in some nations; the Russians will be way too cynical to help you when you outlive your usefulness.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

79. As long as Russia doesn't throw him in prison for over 100 years

like the USA will do to Bradley Manning -
Russia will be helping him plenty.

And he still might sneak off to the Caribbean beaches of Venezuela without the CIA noticing him, in the next year or two...

[question everything]

80. Where, thankfully, the government does not spy on its citizens

[MADem]

82. Good thing for Ed, that!

Here is WAPO's take: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/lawyer-snowden-has-a-place-to-live-in-russia-still-figuring-out-what-he-will-do/2013/08/02/197ca9c4-fb67-11e2-89f7-8599e3f77a67_story.html

Snowden has a place to live in Russia, but not clear just how much freedom he will have


...Russia granted a year of asylum to Snowden on Thursday, allowing him to quietly slip out of the Moscow airport where he had been holed up for almost six weeks as he evades charges of espionage in the United States. Authorities have suggested he will have wide freedom to work, but Kremlin watchers believe his moves are likely being closely controlled by Russian intelligence. ..... The asylum decision gives Russia cover to depict itself as a defender of human rights, pointing a finger to deflect criticism of its own poor record on rights including free speech. But the secrecy that surrounded Snowden’s time at the Moscow airport and his unwillingness so far to talk to the press indicates he is being controlled by Russian intelligence, Andrei Soldatov, a Russian journalist who co-authored a book on the Russian intelligence services said.

“Does he have independent sources of information and communication? My impression is that he has none, which means he’s not his own master,” Soldatov said.

....One of the reasons for keeping Snowden isolated may be to prevent him from speaking about the people he met and what really happened to him during the 39 days he spent in the airport’s transit zone, Soldatov said. For the same reason, Soldatov said he expected Russian authorities to find a job for Snowden that will prevent him from having contacts with journalists.