French actor Jean Reno releases novel about Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia
Jean Reno (photo: Getty Images)
Famous French actor and writer Jean Reno has released his second novel titled “The Escape” (L’Évasion), in which he addresses the topic of the deportation of Ukrainian teenagers to Russian camps, according to the French publishing house XO Éditions.
In an interview with Télé 7, Reno said he was deeply affected by reports about the mass removal of children from Ukraine.
“It’s just current events. When I heard about this story (19,546 kidnapped Ukrainian children were identified in 2024 by several non-governmental organizations working on this issue), I was extremely shocked. I considered it madness that these children were being abducted for brainwashing. I am not making a political statement; I wanted to turn it into a novel,” he said.
The main character of the book is Emma, a former massage therapist who becomes an agent of the French intelligence services.
In the story, she goes undercover at a Siberian camp to find traces of deported teenagers and document the situation.
“Setting off on the most dangerous mission of her young career, Emma hides her identity undercover to get close to a Russian agent. The goal: to trace the lives of thousands of young people deported to the hell of new Gulags,” the book description says.
This is already the second novel by Reno about this character. His previous book sold more than 40,000 copies in France.
It is worth noting that Jean Reno has not spoken about Ukraine warmly for the first time in public.
Back in 2018, during the filming of “The Last Step” in the Carpathian Mountains and Kyiv, the actor said he was impressed by Ukraine’s nature and the hospitality of its people.
At that time, he said he “enjoyed working there” and would gladly return for a new project related to Ukraine.
