Since the beginning of the year, 70 Russian artists have been barred from entering Ukraine
Since the beginning of the year, the State Border Guard Service has banned entry into Ukraine for 70 artists, including those who, bypassing Ukrainian legislation, visited the Russian-annexed Crimea, as indicated by a representative of the Ukrainian State Border Guard, Oleh Slobodyan, Krym.Realii reports. The Service specified that the list will be expanding.
"We hope that we will have more information about certain artists. I remind you that we have a stop list on the website to which we have asked to add information about those who have visited the Crimea, and I think that the quality of the filtering in this category of foreigners will continue to grow," he said.
At the same time, the representative of the Ukrainian Border Guard Service noted that, at the moment, there is no need to create a separate unit or position within the department to track the Russian guest performers, "the mechanism has been worked out."
Deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine registered a draft law limiting touring by Russian and Ukrainian artists. According to the authors of the bill, Russian guest performers, by performing in Ukraine, including the occupied territories, openly support the occupation of Ukraine and the humiliation of the Ukrainian people.
There is a proposed exception to the ban on visits to Ukraine for those Russian artists who in writing or publicly recognize Russia as an aggressor, or are permanently residing in Ukraine. The deputies suggest violators to be held responsible, including criminal responsibility.
Foreign artists, touring the annexed Crimea through the checkpoints closed by Ukraine, are in violation of Ukrainian legislation. Some of the artists who performed in the annexed territory or expressed support for the Russian annexation of the Crimea, lost the opportunity to perform on mainland Ukraine.
Previously it was reported that Russian Channel One television channel announced 35 concerts of the Okean Elzy rock band in Russia. However, the last time the Ukrainian band performed in Russia was in 2013.