Gerard Depardieu becomes Russian resident living at No 1, Democracy Street in Saransk

Gerard Depardieu has been formally registered as a permanent resident of the central Russian town of Saransk.

Gerard Depardieu, 64, sought Russian citizenship after the French government criticized his decision to move abroad to avoid higher taxes.

The French actor is now registered as living at No 1, Democracy Street in Saransk, in the region of Mordovia.

After the ceremony, Gerard Depardieu beamed and proclaimed a few words in Russian.

“Glory! Glory to Saransk, glory to Mordovia, glory to Russia!” he said.

Gerard Depardieu was quoted as telling Russian television that his registered new address, on Demokraticheskaya [Democratic] Street, was quite “symbolic”.

On Friday, after visiting Moscow’s famed Bolshoi Theatre and the Illuzion cinema, Gerard Depardieu said he was very familiar with Russian culture.

“I love it very much. I also know your composers. I can say that I was born with Russian culture.”

Gerard Depardieu was granted Russian citizenship by a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on 3 January.

The central Russian region of Mordovia Gerard Depardieu will call home is known for its Stalin-era prison camps.

Gerard Depardieu’s highly publicized tax row began last year after French President Francois Hollande said he would raise taxes to 75% for those earning more than 1 million  euros ($1.3 million).

He accused the socialist government of punishing “success, creation and talent”, and announced in early December that he would move to Belgium.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault branded Gerard Depardieu’s decision to move abroad as “shabby and unpatriotic”.

Gerard Depardieu, described by President Vladimir Putin as a friend, has developed close ties with Russia, which has a flat 13% personal income tax rate.

He currently appears in an advertisement for Sovietsky Bank’s credit card and is prominently featured on the bank’s home page.

In 2011, Gerard Depardieu played the lead role in the film Rasputin, a Franco-Russian production about the life of eccentric monk Grigory Rasputin.

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