Russia Targets Anti-Putin Musicians Abroad
Seven members of Russian rock band Bi-2 were arrested in Phuket, Thailand after alleged intervention by Russian authorities (Wikimedia Commons).
Seven members of the Belarusian-Russian rock band Bi-2 were arrested after their concert in Phuket, Thailand, for having improper visas on January 24. The band’s members have spoken out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and previously announced that they do not plan on returning to Russia. Additionally, the Russian government labeled the lead singer of the band, Egor “Lyova” Bortnik, a foreign agent on May 26, 2023 following his criticism of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Russian opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov claimed that Vladimir Sosnov, Russia’s consul in Phuket, personally asked Thai authorities to deport the band members to Russia. An anonymous source also told The Guardian that Russian authorities gave Thai counterparts a blacklist of Russian musicians whom they would like to be deported back to Russia.
According to Thai law, individuals must be deported to the country whose passport they used to enter Thailand. Though four of the band’s members are Israeli nationals, five of them used Russian passports to enter Thailand, mandating their deportation to Russia. Thai authorities initially agreed to transfer the four Israeli band members back to Israel, but reversed their decision on January 30 after intervention from high-ranking Russian diplomats. However, the next day all seven members were deported to Israel following negotiations with Israeli diplomats.
Bi-2 are just the latest victims of Russia’s efforts to persecute musicians critical of the government abroad. Russian anti-war comedian Maxim Galkin announced on his Instagram on January 27 that he was denied entry into Indonesia. Galkin stated that Indonesian border officials presented him a letter from the Russian government, requesting that he be barred from entering Bali.. Galkin previously had his concert in Thailand canceled on January 15, supposedly due to his tendency to express his political views on stage. The Russian government also labeled Galkin as a foreign agent in September 2022 for his anti-war stance.
Russia’s diplomatic influence extends beyond Southeast Asia as well. Russian rapper Morgenshtern, currently one of Russia’s most popular musicians, announced on January 26 that he had been banned from entering the United Arab Emirates. Morgenshtern previously criticized excessive government spending on May 9 Victory Day celebrations and released a song supporting Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who recently died in prison. Morgenshtern has had concerts in the UAE canceled multiple times leading up to the entry ban, and has been labeled by the Russian government as a foreign agent.