Ivan Okhlobystin

Who is Ivan Okhlobystin?

Ivan Ivanovich Okhlobystin is a Russian actor, director and screenwriter.

Okhlobystin became popular in the late 1990s but, following a religious conversion, withdrew to a monastery and became a Russian Orthodox priest. In early 2010 he resumed his entertainment career. Later that year he was named the creative director of Euroset, Russia's largest handset retailer.

Okhlobystin plays head of the therapy department in the medical sitcom Interny. On 5 September 2011 he announced that he would run for President of Russia in 2012 through the "Sky Coalition", but later gave up the idea, citing the opinion of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Appearing in RTVi's Without Fools broadcast on December 2, 2012 Okhlobystin declared himself to be a "national-patriot" and claimed to "know" that "in the year when the head of State and the head of Church in Russia will both die", he will become the next President of the new Russian Empire. Saying, "the Russian people will vote for me, and the Russian Church will anoint me", he said that he'll immediately put up a new Iron Wall around Russia and start a campaign of "cleansing", in order to "rebuild the Russian nation".