A new ad by French dairy company Danone has sparked outrage among Ukrainian social media users for featuring a Russian actor who fired a heavy machine gun at Ukrainian forces in the Donbas.
Released on April 22, the ad features Russian actor Mikhail Porechenkov touting the benefits of liquid yogurt brand Actimel. It was not immediately clear where the ad had been published or broadcast.
Beyond being an actor, Porechenkov is also an active supporter of Russian-backed militants in eastern Ukraine and the Kremlin’s invasion and annexation of Crimea. In response to the ad, Ukrainian internet users flooded Danone Ukraine’s Facebook page with angry comments calling for a boycott of its products in the country and demanding the dairy company apologize.
The Kyiv Post reached out to Danone for comment. A spokesperson promised a comment, but did not send one by publication time.
Leningrad-born Porechenkov was extremely popular in the early 2000s, with roles in action movies and television shows broadcast in Ukraine like detective series “The National Security Agent.”
In October 2014, after Russia invaded Ukraine, Porechenkov visited the positions of the Russian-backed forces at Donetsk Airport as one of numerous Russian celebrities supporting the militants.
Later that month, Ukrainian authorities launched two criminal cases against him after a video surfaced showing the actor firing at the Donetsk Airport and Ukrainian positions from what appears to be a Russian-made 50-caliber Kord heavy machine gun.
The video featured Porechenkov firing while wearing a helmet marked with press insignia and wearing an armored vest also labeled “press.”
In October 2014, the Ukrainian government banned his films from being broadcast in Ukraine. In January 2015, he was placed on the SBU security agency’s wanted list.
