Mikhail Porechenkov
Mikhail Evgenevich Porechenkov (; born 2 March 1969, in Leningrad, Soviet Union) is a Russian film actor, producer, director. He became famous after his lead role as FSB Agent Alexey Nikolayev in the TV series "National Security Agent" (1999–2005). In 2008, Porechenkov produced, directed and starred in "D-Day" (День Д), a Russian remake of the 1985 American action film "Commando". Biography. Porechenkov was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in the Russian SSR on 2 March 1969, to parents Evgeny Mikhailovich Porechenkov and Galina Nikolayevna Porechenkova. His father was a Soviet Navy officer, and his mother was a  building engineer. Since his parents were busy at work, he, in general, was raised until the age of 5 by his grandmother in a village of Pskov Oblast, and then, before going to school, he returned to Leningrad. In the late 1970s, his father was appointed as an inspector of the Polish Gdańsk Shipyard, where Soviet ships were built, thus, in the first years of schooling, Porechenkov had to leave Leningrad and move, along with his family, to the Polish People's Republic. There, he began to study in a Soviet Embassy boarding school in Warsaw. During the education period , he became interested in sports, especially boxing. After graduating from school in 1986, he went to the Estonian SSR, where he entered the Tallinn Higher Military-Political Construction School to earn a political officer degree. Despite sporting achievements—Porechenkov earned the rank of the Candidate for Master of Sport in Boxing after his successful performance at the college championship and municipal tournament in Tallinn, he was dismissed from the college in 1990, just 10 days before his graduation. When he returned home from Estonia, he worked in a picture framing studio, and attended Armen Dzhigarkhanyan's class in the Gerasimov  Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), which he did not graduate from. In 1991 he entered the Leningrad State Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinematography (LGITMiK), Veniamin Filshtinsky's class, and graduated in 1996. Controversy. In October 2014, Porechenkov was wanted by Ukrainian authorities for allegedly engaging in terrorist activities in Donetsk. Porechenkov was filmed firing a heavy weapon on Donetsk International Airport (the recently renovated airport was completely destroyed by these terrorists attacks and does not exist from 2014), while wearing protective clothing with 'Press' markings. Ukrainian officials said they would charge him with "participation in terrorist activities of the so -called DNR" and participation in activities of "armed gangs." Since 2015 Porechenkov is banned from entering Ukraine.