Russia passed Thailand's "black list" of musicians for deportation from Thailand - media

It is reported that the seven members of the group were detained by the immigration power of the last Wednesday for work without permission. The performers later reported that they had been transferred to Bangkok and now they are kept behind bars. According to journalists, BI-2 is one of the most successful Russian-speaking rock groups. It is known for its condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian authorities called their soloist Igor Bortnik a "foreign agent" after he criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin. The publication writes that the arrest of BI-2 participants can be a strict warning for other artists who criticize Moscow but act abroad. The Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova accused the musicians of sponsoring terrorism. Elaine Pearson, director of Human Rights Watch in Asia, called on Thailand's power to immediately release the detainees.

"In no circumstances, they can not be deported to Russia, where they may be threatened with arrest or something worse than a frank criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's war in Ukraine," Pearson said. This arrest is the last in a number of incidents with the participation of Russian anti-war artists in Thailand and seems to emphasize Moscow's influence on this country in Southeast Asia, popular with Russian tourists.

Before detention of BI-2, the Phuquet authorities abolished the performances of two popular Russian standap comedies that criticize the war, Maxim Galkin and Ruslan White, whom the Kremlin called "foreign agents". According to the source, the participants of "BI-2" were detained on Phuket at the request of the Russian consul of Vladimir Sosnov. Moreover, the Russian authorities sent their Thai colleagues "black list" of musicians whom the Kremlin would like to deport back to Russia.

Opposition policy in exile Dmitry Gudkov, who maintained connection with the group, stated that the Russian authorities were pressure on his Thai colleagues. "For Thailand, the arrest" BI-2 "seems to grow into a major diplomatic headache. According to the BI-2 statement, from seven members of the band some have dual citizenship of Australia and Israel, and two other members of the band are not citizens of Russia, That is why they cannot be deported to Russia, "the material reads.

The BI-2 lawyer stated that Israeli diplomats in Thailand were offered to allow the band to go to Tel Aviv, but this request was rejected after the intervention of the Russian consul. It should be noted that on the evening of January 30, VPI Event, which was organized by the BI-2 concerts in Thailand, said she made mistakes in visa decoration for the band members. Yes, in such situations, migration services have applied sanctions to the organizers of speeches.

"But in this case, the attention of migration services was focused solely on artists. We make every effort to release artists, but at all stages we find unprecedented pressure," the company said. We will remind that in November 2023 it became known that the band "BI-2" want to "ban" in the Russian Federation after the statements of the soloist for assistance of the Armed Forces.