Aleksandr Kuznetsov is an actor known for roles in Russian films and TV series ("Flight", "Acid", "The Scythian"), as well as in international productions: "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore", "The Vandal", and the Disney+ series "Star". Born on July 22, 1992, in Sevastopol, Ukraine. Holds dual citizenship — Russian and Ukrainian.
Aleksandr Kuznetsov's Stance on the War in Ukraine
In February 2022, Aleksandr Kuznetsov signed an open letter from the Russian Filmmakers' Union (KinoSoyuz) condemning Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.
On February 28, 2022, he posted an anti-war statement on Instagram:
I am actor and musician Aleksandr Kuznetsov, and I am categorically against war. This is a monstrous catastrophe and a crime against humanity. I urge all of us to immediately find a peaceful resolution.
Following September 21, 2022, he left Russia for the United Kingdom. In a March 2023 interview with Yury Dud, he revealed that he left the Russian Federation using forged documents to avoid mobilization:
All my conscious life I have been against Putin and his government, not against the Russian people or Russia. I never voted for him and didn't attend the elections. I fully support Ukraine in this war. I consider this a criminal war; what is happening is an absolute catastrophe.
No one could ever force me to renounce my Ukrainian citizenship. In this conflict, I stand with Ukraine 150%. But I don't feel Russia is my motherland. Nor Ukraine. I have never in my life had a motherland. In terms of a homeland, I am completely homeless and wish to remain so to the end.
In the same interview, Kuznetsov shared his family's attitude toward the war:
Part of my family lives in Ukraine and has been fighting for the Armed Forces of Ukraine for a year now. My mother is Ukrainian, my father is Russian. My father supports Russia in this war; my mother is horrified. They are not together. I haven't seen my dad in a long time and haven't spoken to him since February 24, except for a message he sent me on my birthday. And when the Crimean Bridge was blown up — he happened to be nearby, he works as a sailor in New Zealand — I texted him on that day. As far as I know, my father wanted to volunteer to fight for Russia, but they rejected him due to health reasons.
The actor stated that he left Russia due to the impossibility of speaking the truth about the war, as state cinema curtails freedom of speech, and participating in it fosters an illusion of normality with which he refuses to be associated:
I didn't leave because I refuse to work for a bloody regime and bloody money. I don't view the money used to film cinema as belonging to the state. However, if a film is financed with state funds, most likely the contract will already specify that you have no right to say anything about the war, about Ukraine. I am ready right now to return to cinema and make a film funded independently with an independent production company, but that is probably simply impossible by now. I'm not ruling anything out. I would be ready to return to Russia if I'm not imprisoned, if I can speak out, and make movies with independent financing. I left because I want to have the ability not to remain silent. I would have been willing to stay if I could speak. It is impossible now to make films in Russia, attend premieres, and contribute to creating an illusion of normality. I don't judge anyone, but for me this is impossible, as I am both Ukrainian and Russian, and I have relatives on both sides.
Due to his anti-war stance, the actor faced harsh criticism from Russian media and official figures, was placed on Russian blacklists, and his works are being purged from the Russian media landscape. Despite this, Kuznetsov continues his acting career in the West, starring in Hollywood and European productions without hiding his position.
