Have you guys seen Hard To Kill?If you have, you wouldn't blame the Ukrainians for wanting to keep Mr. Steven Seagal out of the country—them hands be dangerous.However, it wasn't because of Seagal's martial arts ferocity that the actor has been banned from the Ukraine. Rather, as reported by the Guardian, Ukraine deemed Seagal a risk to national security because of his relationship to the Kremlin, a sentiment that has been confirmed by the country's security protection agency. In a letter published to the news site Apostrophe, Ukrainian officials stated that Seagal entering the country would put it at risk.
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Yeah… I would ban him too."A decision concerning an entry ban is taken if there is enough information… about a person committing a socially dangerous act that contradicts the interests of Ukraine's security protection irrespective of a territory where it was committed," the Ukrainian security service's statement read.It's no secret to why the Ukrainian officials would be wary of anyone with connections to the Kremlin, and Seagal has made no effort to hide his. In the last few years, Seagal, a child of Russian immigrants, has called Putin's annexation of eastern Ukraine "reasonable" and ripped it up with his blues band at a pro-Putin biker rally in Crimea. In an interview with Russia Today in 2013, Seagal publicly called Putin "one of the greatest world leaders."The catalyst for this round of strange Seagal news is pegged on his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin who Seagal, as you just read, speaks very highly of. In November of last year, the action star was granted a Russian passport from Putin. Their friendship allegedly stemmed from a love of martial arts and mutual admiration.I mean, take one look at Putin and you immediately assume that this is a man who keeps a worn out VHS copy of Under Siege near his person at all times.Seagal joins French actor Gerard Depardieu and the most recent Russian Eurovision entrant on the list of those banned from Ukraine. Seagal hasn't, as of the time of publishing, responded to his ban because, most likely, he's busy kicking a tree in a forest or something.Follow Mack Lamoureux on Twitter.