People’s Artist of Russia, singer Nikolai Baskov commented on the decision of the Canadian authorities to put him on the sanctions list.
“Canada paid a lot of attention to my patriotic position. So I can imagine how the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is watching the concert on Red Square with the whole staff and diligently recording everyone who performed there. Now, if you support your country and its security, you are called a propagandist. Double standards of the West in action,” the artist wrote on February 4 in his Telegram channel.
Meanwhile, Baskov noted that he was pleasantly surprised by the fact that they know about him in Canada.
Earlier, on February 2, Canadian authorities imposed new restrictions on Russian legal entities and individuals. In total, the restrictions additionally affect 16 structures and 38 individuals, among which, in particular, were such Russian artists as Oleg Gazmanov, Mikhail Boyarsky, Marat Basharov, Dima Bilan, Alexander Marshal, Polina Gagarina and others.
In turn, the People’s Artist of Russia and the leader of the Lyube group, Nikolai Rastorguev, called the appearance of his name on the Ottawa sanctions list quite expected and said that he had decided not to appear in Canada any more. According to Rastorguev, the last time he was on tour in the US and Canada was about 20 years ago.
Earlier, on December 9, Canada imposed sanctions against the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN), the Central Election Commission, the Ministry of Justice and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. Then Moscow, as a response, blacklisted 200 Canadians who are now banned from entering Russian territory. Among them are high-ranking officials, parliamentarians, law enforcement officers and activists who support the “Russophobic course of the Justin Trudeau regime.”
Western countries have stepped up sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation after the launch of a special operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass, which was announced on February 24. Moscow is taking retaliatory steps.
