A city council member from Murmansk is happy to give one of his flats to Gerard Depardieu as a present.

      Russian ladies love French men, and there could not be a better present for the International Women's Day on March 8 than having the newly-made Russian Gerard Depardieu visiting the cold northern Russian city.

      "Murmansk is a very appealing city and is very different from the rest of Russia", the council member is quoted. "And whilst we cannot present Mr Depardieu with a flat because we have to put our citizens first, I am happy to grant him one of my own flats, recently refurbished".

      This may become the third property Depardieu will own since turning a Russian citizen. His other two flats are in Saransk and Chechnya. And whilst Depardieu is quickly becoming the regular in the Russian news, his arrival indicates that the best present for a dear guest in Russia seems to be a place to live, of which there is no shortage.