Sanctions against Grigory Leps became the reason for the creation of a special commission

The State Duma proposes to create a special commission to protect Russian citizens who find themselves “in difficult situations” abroad. Due to US sanctions against singer Grigory Leps, such an initiative was made by the head of the Chamber’s Committee on Information Technology, Alexei Mitrofanov. Experts note that the reaction of the Russian authorities to foreign sanctions is always “selective,” but “when it comes to America, why not trample on.”

Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Alexey Mitrofanov (left) and Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Sergei Zheleznyak
Photo: Dmitry Dukhanin, Kommersant / buy photo

As part of a meeting of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, its chairman Alexei Mitrofanov proposed forming a special commission to protect Russian citizens abroad. “We need to create a commission, perhaps on the basis of the State Duma, so that it is a state commission with the participation of active members of the Public Chamber. This would be very important in terms of protecting our citizens who find themselves in difficult situations,” he said. The reason for the committee’s discussion of the topic of “protecting the honor and dignity of Russian citizens” was the statement of the US Department of the Treasury on the imposition of sanctions against the transnational criminal group “Brotherly Circle,” which, according to American authorities, includes the famous Russian singer Grigory Leps.

Grigory Leps: “The United States has once again decided to organize a witch hunt”

As Kommersant previously reported, the US Department of the Treasury for Foreign Assets Control claims that Mr. Leps was convicted of transporting funds for Vladislav Leontyev, who is considered one of the leaders of the “Brotherly Circle”. Sanctions imposed against members of organized crime groups include, among other things, entry bans, freezing of bank accounts and seizure of property.

Alexey Mitrofanov drew attention to the fact that American government agencies made conclusions “about the singer’s involvement in a mafia group” based on materials allegedly obtained as a result of wiretapping and operational actions: “Very strange conclusions.” Mr. Mitrofanov is confident that there will be no further investigation. “Why do we need judicial delays? They simply block the money,” he added. In turn, the Commissioner of the Russian Foreign Ministry for Human Rights, Konstantin Dolgov, stated that when “our citizens find themselves on the territory of the United States,” as “practice shows, fair and honest justice awaits them there extremely rarely.”

“The US Treasury claims that Grigory Leps served as a financial courier”

Member of the Public Chamber, lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, supported the proposal to create a commission. “I am for it,” he said at the committee meeting, noting that Grigory Leps will return to Moscow after November 15 and then “a number of joint efforts will be undertaken.” “This campaign was aimed at discrediting his good and honest name - a popular, well-known person in the country,” the lawyer believes. According to him, the American authorities in similar cases “are ready to launch aircraft carriers to protect their citizens.”

Political scientist Alexey Makarkin explained to Kommersant that although various government bodies are involved in protecting the interests of Russian citizens, “deputies also want to join” this topic and “promote themselves.” According to the expert, the commission “may have a lot of work to do,” but it is “unlikely to be effective.” The authorities’ reaction to foreign sanctions against Russians is always “selective,” says Mr. Makarkin. “When Russian citizens have problems in Turkmenistan, everyone here is very careful, because this is an important partner that you don’t want to push towards the West,” says the political scientist. “At the same time, when it comes to America, why not trample on” .

How the United States entered Grigory Leps into the “Brotherly Circle”

At the end of October, the US administration added to the list of especially dangerous international criminals, announcing the introduction of financial and visa sanctions against six natives of the former USSR, associated, according to American authorities, with the transnational criminal organization “Brotherly Circle”. Singer Grigory Leps was among them. The appendix to the sanctions list of the US Treasury indicates the real name of the musician - Grigory Viktorovich Lepsveridze, date and place of birth, and Thai Phuket is named as his place of residence. Read more

Natalia Korchenkova

The State Duma will not offend compatriots abroad