All musicians of the rock band Bi-2 were deported from Thailand to Israel. The six musicians were met at Tel Aviv airport by Yegor Bortnik (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation) (alias Leva Bi-2), who was deported from the country the day before.
The country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Katz, also met with the group members.
“I told them I was happy we were able to take them to Israel because they were facing extradition to Russia and a long prison sentence there.” — Wrote The minister added a joint photo on his Telegram channel.
According to Katz, Israel is the only state in the world that does everything to ensure that not a single citizen is left to the mercy of fate, and this time the authorities managed to take care of the protection and security of Israeli citizens. “Music will win,” the minister added.
On the morning of February 1, Leva Bi-2 said that the prison sentence given in Thailand was a surprise to the team members.
“This was a surprise and an immeasurable punishment. I understand that even though it wasn’t our fault, we still broke the law. But everything that started happening after that was beyond all logic,” he told reporters.
Bortnik added that he no longer plans to live in Russia. He also thanked the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the country’s authorities “rescuing him and other members of the group.” The musician accused the Russian consulate of detaining the group in Thailand.
“Everyone told us it was a Russian trace. Especially the Russian Consulate [сделало] The Bi-2 group was eventually ordered to return us to Russia. Why? Well, you understand. Play with spoons,” says Bortnik.
Russian State Duma deputy Andrei Lugovoi had previously talked about playing “with spoons” and called on musicians to prepare to “play with spoons and plates in front of their cellmates.”
Russian Foreign Ministry responded to the accusations
Reporting the situation regarding the arrest and deportation of Bi-2, citing sources, Bloomberg agency claimed that the Russian Foreign Ministry instructed employees in “friendly” countries to “persecute” Russian artists and celebrities who oppose the SVO. President Vladimir Putin’s position.
The State Department responded to a Bloomberg report: “Anyone who finances or supports the Kiev regime should not be sued, but rather prosecuted.”
The official representative of the diplomatic department, Maria Zakharova, also commented on Yegor Bortnik’s statements. According to him, the Bi-2 group itself rejected consular assistance in Thailand:
“It is noteworthy that the publications consist of contradictory hoaxes: Russian diplomats are either responsible for the arrest of the group, or they are accused of “inaction”. Now this is true. Employees of the consular department of the Russian Embassy and Consulate General acted in full compliance with the regulations from the very beginning. Members of the “Bi-2” group flatly refused to communicate with Russian consuls; “No application was made to our foreign institutions on their behalf.”
Are the problems still over?
The arrival of musicians in Israel was also commented on by State Duma deputy Andrei Lugovoi, who had previously threatened “Bi-2” with imprisonment and “playing spoons” in front of other prisoners. He told the publication “To climb”He said the artists “will still be caught somewhere and deported to Russian territory.”
“They were very lucky, otherwise they would have had dinner somewhere in Butyrka.” “All the traitors will appear here again,” he said.
Mash Telegram channel, citing a source, claims that the band may face problems regarding the concert to be held in Dubai on February 17, as Russian and UAE officials discuss the cancellation of the concert. According to the channel’s interlocutor, the group may either not be given permission to organize an event or the concert may be cancelled.
The musicians were detained after their concert in Thailand on January 25, due to doubts about whether the “reasons for conducting concert activities” were legal. Kingdom authorities fined each member of the group 3,000 baht ($84) and placed them in a detention center for Phuket immigration police. Organizers of the band’s concerts in Thailand stated that Bi-2’s detention was due to incorrect visa procedures and that the company itself, not the artists, was to blame.
Yegor Bortnik is the only member of the group who holds exclusive Israeli citizenship. He was deported to Israel on January 30. A day later, all other participants were released from the detention center and then sent to Tel Aviv.