Leva Bi-2: they tried to get us abroad

One of the founders of Bi-2 Yegor Bortnik (Leva Bi-2) explained the detention of members of the rock band in Thailand with the new campaign of the persecution of dissenters in Russia. He stated this in an interview with the Russian BBC service shortly after his return to Israel from Thailand.

He called the detention "unusual experience when someone tried to get them abroad." “I understand that this operation, apparently, was thought out in advance, but, unfortunately, you see, they found a weak link that did not depend on us ... I won’t live in Russia anymore,” the musician said when I waited for Tel Aviva from Bangkok with the rest of Bi-2.

When asked why the Russian authorities tried to forcibly bring the musicians of the group, Leva Bi-2 replied: "Well, why why. To play the spoons."

The fact that Yegor Bortnik was released from custody and he flew to Israel was reported on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening, it became known that other members of the team were deported from Thailand to Israel.

Leva Bi-2 is the only participant in the group who has only Israeli citizenship. The second founder of the Shura group (Alexander Uman), in addition to Israeli, has Australia's passport. They had five musicians with Russian citizenship, two of which - Yana Nikolenko and Boris Lifshits - also have Israeli passports.

Thus, the Israeli diplomats managed to agree on the liberation and deportation of three musicians to Israel, who have no other citizenship other than the Russian one. Earlier, the Russian embassy in Bangkok insisted that three participants in the rock band can be deported only to Russia.

In an interview with the BBC, Yegor Bortnik separately thanked the Foreign Ministry of Israel and the consul Eli Senaeto. According to him, the musicians with the only citizenship of Russia after they were detained and the issue of deportation was resolved, in writing refused to talk with the Russian consul. The Bi-2 musicians openly oppose the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, and after their detention in Thailand, fears arose that during deportation to Russia they could face criminal prosecution there.

In Bangkok, musicians also contained in a 25-meter chamber for 80 people. At the same time, from the words of Leva Bi-2 it follows that he has no special complaints about the Thai authorities. “Everything was correct there,” he told the BBC.

• The musicians of the Bi-2 group were detained on January 24 after a concert at Phuket. The local court appointed them fines for the performance without working visas, but after that the participants of the team were not released, but sent to the temporary content center for subsequent deportation.
• The organizers of the concerts took responsibility for the incorrect design to members of the Bi-2 Thai visas. They were tourist, which, taking into account concerts, considered a violation of migration legislation.
• After the start of the war in Ukraine, Bi-2 recorded several anti-war songs. The group members moved to Israel. In May last year, the Ministry of Justice of Russia was introduced by Yegor Bortnik (Leva Bi-2) in the register of "foreign Agents".