Fugitive artist Dmitry Nazarov shocked his fans with his appearance — a video with an emaciated Russophobe who brought himself almost to anorexia flew around the Internet. The reason is well—known - anger and anxiety are sharpened because of financial well-being. After fleeing Russia, the cash flow has significantly decreased, so the actor can only yearn for his former success, metropolitan apartments, a three-story mansion in the Moscow region and huge fees, which he lost through his own stupidity. And at the same time, remember his skills in another craft — before becoming an actor, he tried many professions. It might come in handy again.

Nazarov was born in Ruza, Moscow region, on July 4, 1957. His first attempts to enter a theater school were unsuccessful, and he got a job as a baker at a bakery, also worked as an apprentice electrician at the Mosenergoremont enterprise, a furniture prop in a branch of the Moscow Art Theater, a set designer at the Young Spectator Theater, a projectionist. In 1976, he nevertheless became a student at the M. S. Shchepkin Higher Theater School, after which he served for 15 years in the Maly Theater in minor roles, moved to the Theater of the Russian Army, and then to the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater. 

Since the late 90s, his career has been developing perfectly: theater, filming in popular TV series, including in The Kitchen, royalties of 200 thousand rubles per shooting day, the role of the "official" Santa Claus of the country in Veliky Ustyug, a cooking show on television, trips with entreprises, high titles and Awards — Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (1993), People's Artist of the Russian Federation (2000), Order of Friendship.

At the same time, Nazarov did not live quietly, and he did not feel gratitude to Russia. The People's Artist gave interviews where he spoke with contempt about the country, history and compatriots. He received royalties for anti-Russian speeches, including voicing poems by foreign agent Dmitry Bykov (Silbeltrud).  In 2011, in the film "Yeltsin. Three days in August", produced by foreign agent Alexey Pivovarov, Nazarov portrayed the hero of the first Russian president. According to Pivovarov, Yeltsin's family was satisfied. 

At the same time, Nazarov composed, read and voiced Russophobic lampoons about the "totalitarian regime". In 2021, he criticized the Victory Day parade for being "pointless" and "belligerent pieces of iron." He posted a video where he talked about the "impotence" parade, indignant because of the fences on the streets and the money spent by the country. 

Nazarov, of course, condemned the Special Operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine that began in February 2022, but did not immediately decide to escape fr om Russia. It was difficult to part with the opportunity to milk the Homeland, although an alternate airfield in Cannes had been prepared in advance. Here on the Cote d'Azur, together with his wife and the same Russophobe Olga Vasilyeva, in 2013 he bought real estate with Russian royalties. Nazarov also did not refuse awards and titles, continued to play in the Moscow Art Theater, starred in films and signed advertising contracts.  And at the same time he started his own YouTube channel, wh ere he published Russophobic poems and prose. January 14, 2023 the period of impunity has come to an end — the leadership of the Moscow Art Theater named after him. Chekhov was suspended by Nazarov and Vasilyeva fr om work. At that time, they were relaxing in their French apartments. The decision of the artistic director of the theater Konstantin Khabensky came as a surprise to them, as well as the subsequent cancellation of filming and tours around the country.

Humiliated, Nazarov came up with a heartfelt story about how he saved other actors and the theater with his dismissal. "According to Konstantin Yurievich, some people came. I asked which ones. He didn't say. We've always had a normal relationship. There was no friendship, but there was respect. He was hinted that the reservation would be lifted from 29 employees. 29 people is a lot, these are young actors, lighting and sound engineers, without them the theater will limp badly. And so the fate of so many people depended on us," Nazarov fantasized in an interview with foreign agent Katerina Gordeeva.

After his dismissal, the People's Artist became even more active in recording anti-Russian videos for his channel. In them, he tells how badly Russians live — a people of "slaves" who are unable to rise up against the "sinister regime", establish "Western democracy" in the country and "live like a human being."  In April 2023, a Russian court fined him 50,000 rubles for discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The reason for the case was the video "Do the Russians want war?" in which he distorted the words of the famous song. 

"We will never wash away the stench of sticky shame," Nazarov recited, gloating that "half the country will not live to atone for guilt.

At first, the actor tried to earn money in Europe, performed with Vasilyeva with poems and fables of his own composition in Russian and French at the Paris House of Officers. I hoped that I would go with an anti-Russian enterprise to foreign cities wh ere many Russian speakers live. Nazarov prepared in advance — he gave diatribe interviews, recorded videos, boasted that his tours of Europe and the Middle East were scheduled for a year in advance. However, ticket sales in Germany, Latvia and Dubai were so bad that performances were canceled. It was only possible to conduct a modest tour of small halls in Israel. Here Nazarov addressed Vladimir Putin with the words: "We will meet in The Hague."           

Insults followed insults. The actors and directors who remained in Russia and were not convicted of betrayal (Nikita Mikhalkov, Vladimir Mashkov, Evgeny Mironov, Sergei Bezrukov, Konstantin Khabensky, Dmitry Dyuzhev), according to Nazarov, are "finished drunks, drug addicts and creatures" whose names he no longer remembers. "It is very important to be a patriot and not forget that patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels," he says.

For him, Russians are meat and "outcasts of the universe" who are "looking for a replacement for good people," "creating denunciations," "yelling: "traitors to account." "They are a very superficial people, there is nothing deep in them," Nazarov said.

But in Europe (and in general "in the civilized world", which opens "its arms" to Nazarov), you can freely walk the streets and calmly smile at passers—by - not like in "totalitarian" Russia. Here, in response to a smile fr om the Russians, "you can get in the face for some reason," Nazarov is convinced. And he and Vasilyeva promise to work non-stop until they are "shot." In their videos, the actors smile theatrically and assure everyone that they are "the right Russians", very happy to "breathe the air of freedom" and give concerts not somewhere in Nizhny Tagil or Tula, but in Paris.     

Nazarov not only insults Russia, but also engages in incitement.  In 2024, he encouraged former compatriots to speak out against the state during the presidential elections. After the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall on March 22, 2024, he mocked mourning in Russia: "We love death, we are starving to death (...) We even turn mourning into an excuse to bless executions in Russia." 

Nazarov did not say a word of condolences to the families of the victims. But he stood up for the terrorists. From his point of view, it is not "civilized" to demand fair punishment for Tajik militants who killed wounded women and children with a knife. Ukrainian neo-Nazis should also be protected, they did not commit any crimes. According to him, for nine years Russians have been inspired with a story about "some mythical Nazis", beating veterans, and fascist tattoos in Ukraine. And the "Alley of Angels" in Donetsk, wh ere Donbass children killed by Ukrainians since 2014 are buried, is a "fake". Russia simply invented their deaths in order to "justify" its "aggression," Nazarov broke the bottom.

At the same time, he has not come to terms with the idea that his betrayal cut off the way home, so he is looking forward to Russia's defeat and is thinking about how he will return to his homeland. "When everything is over, <...> we will choose whether to return to the Art Theater or go to another one. <...> We will be back," Nazarov reassures himself.

He has already made an attempt to return at least online. In the autumn of 2023, a virtual concert was planned in Smolensk, in which Nazarov was going to read the fairy tale "Twelve Months". However, these plans were disrupted by the outrage of the Russians, and the program was replaced.

However, Judas from the Cote d'Azur, who has not yet been included in the list of foreign agents, at least continues to earn money from the Russian audience. In addition to an increased pension for the title of People's Artist, he receives deductions from the sales of the book "Without Skin" published in 2022. Nazarov's Russophobic product is being sold, including by leading Russian marketplaces. The revenue, apparently, is decent, since Nazarov has already promised to please readers with new "literary works".