| 1 | Local news reports say Ukraine has banned actor Gerard Depardieu from entering the country for five years. |
| 2 | Depardieu in 2013 took Russian citizenship in a bid to escape high taxes in his native France. |
| 3 | He has recently attracted the anger of Ukrainian authorities by supporting Russia's annexation of Crimea last year. |
| 4 | The news website Apostrof on Tuesday published what it said was a letter from Ukraine's national security service, the SBU, saying Depardieu has been banned "in the interest of ensuring the security of our state." |
| 5 | The Interfax news agency quoted security spokeswoman Elena Gitlanskaya as saying that the ban came at the behest of the culture ministry. |
| 6 | The ministry this month drafted a list of actors, musicians and other cultural figures it considers security threats. |