Russian singer Igor Sarukhanov was amused by the decision of the Security Service of Ukraine to put his name on the “black list”. In an interview with Channel Five on Friday, January 29, the artist commented on this news.
According to him, this decision of the SBU is a “fabricated political action”. At the same time, Sarukhanov added that he had nothing to do with politics and, laughing, said that it was very strange for him what kind of threat a person singing about love could pose to the national security of Ukraine.
However, the singer clarified that two years ago he performed in Donbass and would have been able to understand the logic of Kiev if he had been included in the “Black List” at that moment. However, what is happening today, according to Sarukhanov, cannot be adequately explained.
The artist added that everything that happens is the opinion of a small number of people in politics, not the people. He also added that six years of strained relations between Ukraine and Russia will not be able to erase his 40-year-old communication with the audience.
“Can you imagine how many times I’ve been there? How many concerts did you give? On radio and television, something related to me will probably also be prohibited. This is very sad, to be honest … This is simple stupidity, ”concluded Sarukhanov.
On January 29, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine added five more names to the list of Russian artists banned from entering the country. This time Olga Kormukhina, Olga Zasulskaya, Igor Sarukhanov, Denis Klyaver and Mark Tishman got into it.
On January 25, singers Alina Apina and Yulia Glebova were on the list. On December 22, 2020, the department included Russian actor Alexei Guskov in this list.
In 2015, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture created a blacklist of artists, including those from Russia, who allegedly pose a threat to the country’s national security. The list is constantly updated.