Latvia bans performances by 25 Russian artists who support Putin

Riga, 23 Mar Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics announced Wednesday that the Baltic country will ban the entry of 25 Russian citizens linked to the world of culture “who have expressed active political support for the aggression against Ukraine by the Russian authorities”. The list includes film director Nikita Mikhalkov, conductor Valery Gergiev, from whom the Munich, Paris and Rotterdam philharmonics have already been disassociated, as well as the La Scala opera in Milan, and musician Nikolai Rastorguyev, who signed a letter in favor of the annexation of Crimea. Among the artists banned from entering the country are singer Polina Gagarina, who represented Russia at the Eurovision 2015 edition, and Belarusian artist Natalia Podolskaya, who competed for Moscow in 2005, among others. The list published by the LETA news agency also includes a Latvian name, that of Ilze Liepa, a dancer daughter of the famous ballet artist Maris Liepa, who made a career in the Soviet Union and died in 1989. “Support for the atrocities committed by the Kremlin regime implies joint responsibility for the crimes committed, so the entry of these people into Latvia is not allowed,” said Rinkevics according to the statement. Given the presence of a large Russian minority and many Russian-speakers of different ethnicities, entertainment artists and figures of “high culture” - such as film and theater leaders and directors - from Russia were popular and frequently performed in the Baltic countries. The situation changed after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 created tensions between Russia and the three Baltic republics. CHIEF jkz/cph/psh