A week ago, have banned entry to Ukraine the Russian stand-up Elena Sparrow. Previously, the prohibition referred to the participants of the contest “Eurovision-2017” from Russia Yulia Samoilova. As the security Service of Ukraine keeps track of the artists-offenders, speakers in Crimea in violation of Ukrainian legislation? How to earn Russian artists in the annexed Peninsula? What for them will be a loss from the loss of the Ukrainian audience? Waiting to see whether Ukraine Russian artists? Talking about this with a theatrical producer Eugene Polovina and Advisor to the head of SBU Yaroslav Antonakos.
Russian stand-up Elena Sparrow was not allowed to tour in Kiev April 2, due to the fact that in 2015 it illegally visited the annexed Crimea. According to Ukrainian law, foreign citizens may cross admingranitsu with the Peninsula only from the mainland of Ukraine. As said the Sparrow, these laws remind her of a “shameful Berlin wall and the Palestinian-Israeli relationship.”
On March 22, the SBU banned to the participant of “Eurovision” from Russia Yulia Samoilova entry to Ukraine for three years due to her performances in the Crimea. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said that participation Samoilova in the competition was a provocation from the Russian side that Ukraine did not go.
At the beginning of 2017, the SBU has made an exception for one of figurants “the black list” singer Natasha Koroleva. She was allowed to come to Kiev for the funeral. Over the past two years, the SBU has banned entry to Ukraine more than 140 Russian artists, among them — Oleg Gazmanov, Valery, Lev Leshchenko, Joseph Kobzon. In the SBU said that the list of persons banned entry to Ukraine for professional activities, the Department is not conducted.
“The Crimea. Realities”: we’ve got a producer Eugene Polovchenya. Eugene, as SBU tracks the concert activity of a particular player? Have you faced any restrictions on entry for artists?
Eugene Polovchenya: of Course, encountered. Over the past two weeks, there were three ban for actors: Elena Sparrow, Anfisa Chekhova and Vladimir Sterzhakov. They put a ban on the entry (in Ukraine — approx. ed.) for three years in the passport. Monitoring the situation with the actors of the SBU, entry denied them by the state border service of Ukraine. When they see the public face, has been invited to give an explanation to the office of the officer on duty, record on camera. Ask the question: “were you in the Crimea?”. The actors say he was not. But, it is unclear on what basis, they put the refusal and deported. This is because the activists in Kiev and Odessa to write letters, even threats, with warnings that they will do everything to disrupt the concert. So it was with Christina Aguilera — she was not denied entry to Ukraine, but concerts recommended the transfer. This is due to the upcoming “Eurovision”. Yes, she was in the Crimea, flew the plane “Moscow-Simferopol”. It violates the law of Ukraine. But all this political issues.
— As far as I know, there was a situation, when plucked you organize a concert in Odessa. Then the actor, not the former in the Crimea, a ban on entry to Ukraine.
— Yes, this situation was with the actor Vladimir Sterzhakov. Generally it happens: the organizer appoints the Crimean tour in several cities, the poster hits the Internet. The concert is canceled, for various reasons, but the poster remains in the Network. The man had not entered the Crimea, but the border guards aren’t checking, on the basis of the posters in the search claim that the actor was in the Crimea, and put the ban on entry for three years. While sterjakov five or seven times crossed the border of Ukraine over the past year, and the issues it has not been. And on April 2 there, and another officer on the other border station, took this decision. And this moment of responsibility for such decisions is unclear. When appointed concert Aguilera, the organizers made a formal request to the SBU. SBU claims to Aguilera did not and concluded that it may hold concerts. And now the concerts are not cancelled, and transferred, so that claims arose.
— It turns out that the issue of prohibition of entry to Ukraine is determined not by the SBU, the border service, a single database there are no border guards, and the man may be lucky, and might not be so lucky. In addition, the Ukrainian border guards determine was made by the artist in the Crimea or not, based on operational data from intelligence agencies, and based on “Google”.
— Yes, it is. Now that we have established a system: served in the border service request with passport data of actors, who will be on tour. Received a positive answer that no complaints. But Google they at the last moment, when the actor arrives at the checkpoint. And these are cat-and-mouse. Naguglit or not, there will be information on the Internet is true or untrue. If the person in the passport there is no stamp of the airport “Simferopol”, the evidence base in the future is almost absent.
— What makes the Russian artist on the Ukrainian market? What are the losses from the cancellation of performances in the annexed Crimea?
Show-business in Crimea today is in decline. More than three cities it is impossible to cover. In Ukraine, everything depends on the level of the actor, the purchasing power of citizens. So there’s four cities: Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Odessa, Kiev. The actors of the second echelon, tickets to concerts which are 600-800 hryvnia, can you make room in six-seven cities. If it’s a good product, the artist can bring two times a year. I can’t talk about fees. If it is conditional, Christina Aguilera is more than 10 thousand dollars, but I can’t quite tell.
— That is, in the case of the ban on entry lost profits conditional Christina Aguilera — about 80 thousand dollars a year, if we take a minimal fee and concerts in four Ukrainian cities twice a year?
— Yes, all right.
— How, in your experience, requested by the Russian artists in the Ukrainian cities?
— We have disconnected the Russian channels, but we have the Internet and TV shows. And people are willing to go to popular actors. Our markets have always been intertwined: the Ukrainian artists, pop music is also very popular in Russia. They go there, they go out to us. The popularity of actors of the first echelon like Tatiana Vasilieva is not falling — but the artists of this class draw full houses in many countries.
— In touch with us adviser to the head of the SBU Yaroslav antoniak. Jaroslav, what is the mechanics of the track was or was not a Russian artist in the Crimea? Who in the end decides on banning? Is there a focal point, or is it always left to the discretion of individual border guards in a specific checkpoint?
Yaroslav antoniak: no Single center, and the decision as SBU, and state border service. The prohibition of entry on grounds of a violation of the rules of crossing admingranitsy the Crimea imposes the state border service. Our Department makes a decision, when it comes to individuals, leading socially dangerous activities when their entry is undesirable, for safety reasons. But understand, there is no mythical lists of Russian actors, who are forbidden to enter the Ukraine. The decision is made separately in each case, solely in the case of information on violations of the law or threaten national security.
