Ukrainian authorities have opened a criminal case into "particpation into terrorist activity" against a Russian action movie star, after he was caught on camera firing a machine gun in the breakaway territory of war-torn Donetsk.
45-year-old Mikhail Porechenkov, who reportedly visited the region on a humanitarian mission, is pictured alongside pro-Russian separatists wearing a helmet marked 'press' and firing a machine gun at Ukranian lines.
The video, uploaded to YouTube on October 30, has been viewed more than 3.2 million times.
The Security Service of Ukraine said the video was evidence that the Russian actor used firearms to "hunt civilians" in Donetsk.
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Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Porechenkov "personally took part in firing at a unit of Ukraine’s forces from automatic guns" and would also face charges of participating in the activities of "armed gangs", an offence punishable by 12 years in prison.
In an interview with Russian news agency TASS, Porechenkov has insisted the event was staged and "even the ammunition was blank". He wore the helmet for his own protection, adding that he could only borrow one with press markings.
In 2008, Porechenkov produced, directed and starred in D-Day, a Russian adaptation of the 1985 American action film Commando.
