The actor recalled trips to Russia during an impromptu meeting with a woman from Krasnoyarsk and her companion; their conversation was recorded on video.
American actor Tom Cruise met tourists from Krasnoyarsk in central Seoul. Lenta.ru reported that local resident Alyona Mel and her companion spoke with the actor and recorded their conversation; local outlets have also published details of the exchange.
Mel told Cruise that she had come from Siberia. He recalled visiting Russia, naming a first trip to Moscow in 1987 and a visit to the Bolshoi Theatre in the 2000s. The report notes that some details in his recollection may be inaccurate: Cruise’s visit to the Soviet Union is dated to 1988, and the Bolshoi reopened after renovation in 2011.
Cruise also told the pair that he had landed in Siberia to refuel in the 1990s and wanted to see the region. Mel said the encounter reminded her that a live conversation cannot always be replaced by an online translator. Accounts of the exchange are based on the video posted by the participants and their statements.