Members of a prominent dissident Russian rock band critical of the war in Ukraine are facing possible deportation home from Thailand after they were arrested while touring on the resort island of Phuket.
Seven members of the Bi-2 group were detained by Thai immigration authorities last Wednesday in Phuket for working without a permit. Bi-2 said their members were moved to Bangkok, where they have been held behind bars since.
The group have been one of the most successful Russian-language rock bands since the end of the Soviet Union, and are known for their condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Their lead singer, Igor Bortnik, was labelled by Russian authorities as a “foreign agent” after he criticised Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, online.
Hundreds of anti-war musicians have fled the country following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with many of the musicians since touring outside the country.
Observers say Bi-2’s arrest could be a stark warning to other artists who criticise Moscow but perform abroad despite the Kremlin’s efforts to frame them as “unpatriotic”.
When asked about Bi-2’s arrest, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused the group of sponsoring terrorism by publicly supporting Ukraine, raising fears they may face criminal charges in Russia.
Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, called on the Thai authorities to “immediately release the detained members of Bi-2 and allow them to go on their way”.
“Under no circumstances should they be deported to Russia, where they could face arrest or worse for their outspoken criticisms of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s war in Ukraine,” Pearson said.
The arrest is the latest in a string of incidents involving Russian anti-war artists in Thailand and appears to highlight Moscow’s clout over the south-east Asian country popular with Russian tourists.
Before the Bi-2 detention, Phuket authorities cancelled shows of two popular Russian standup comedians critical of the war, Maxim Galkin and Ruslan Beliy, both of whom have been designated “foreign agents” by the Kremlin.
According to a person with direct knowledge of the incident, Bi-2 were detained in Phuket after a request by Vladimir Sosnov, the Russian consul on the island.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Russian authorities had sent their Thai counterparts a “blacklist” of Russian musicians that the Kremlin would like to see deported back to Russia.
Exiled opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov, who has been in touch with the band, said that Russian authorities have been putting pressure on their Thai counterparts to deport the musicians to Russia.
For Thailand, Bi-2’s arrest appears to be growing into a larger diplomatic headache. Of the group’s seven members, some are dual citizens of Australia and Israel, while two other members of the band are not Russian citizens, according to a Bi-2 statement, and therefore cannot be deported to Russia.
Bi-2’s lawyer on Tuesday said that Israeli diplomats in Thailand had offered to allow the group to travel to Tel Aviv, a request which was reportedly denied on Tuesday after the intervention of the Russian consul.
“Today, after a visit from high-ranking diplomats from the Russian embassy, the group representatives were informed that the deportation decision to Israel has been cancelled,” Bi-2 said in a statement on Telegram.
