Maria Zakharova
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova reacted to the ban on Russian singer Philip Kirkorov from visiting Lithuania. The diplomat's statement is posted on the website of the Foreign Ministry.
According to Zakharova, the ban on the pop star's performances is anti-Russian propaganda. “The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry has launched the procedure for blacklisting Kirkorov and other famous musicians, whose work, according to them,“ carries propaganda of soft power, ”the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.
In addition, Zakharova called the statements of the Lithuanian side absurd and stupid. In her opinion, repressions against art workers have become “the hallmark of young European democracies.”
On January 19, it became known that Kirkorov was banned from entering Lithuania for five years because of his position on the return of Crimea to Russia. Riga emphasized that the singer had visited the peninsula many times, thereby “publicly justifying its occupation”.
