“Call of the People” called for checking the Bi-2 musicians for treason – Kommersant

Participants in the public movement “Call of the People” appealed to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Investigative Committee and the Ministry of Culture with a request to recognize the musicians of the rock group “Bi-2” as sponsors of terrorism and state traitors, to seize their property, and to ban the broadcast of their songs on radio and other platforms. A photo of the appeal was published in the “Call of the People” group in “In contact with”.

Participants in the “Call of the People” stated that Bi-2 “failed to cope with the pressure that patriotic Russians put on them.” The appeal says that the Russians publicly accused the musicians after they condemned the conduct of a special military operation in Ukraine, and then refused a concert in Omsk in support of “their Motherland.”

Following this, “Call of the People” claims, the artists “secretly left Russia.” Today, November 17, as noted by members of the movement, Yegor Bortnik – Lyova, the leader of Bi-2 (recognized as a foreign agent), wrote in comments on Instagram (belongs to the extremist Meta, banned in the Russian Federation) that the group provides financial support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Screenshots of his comments are attached to the appeal.

“Meanwhile, the group retains real estate and means of income in the Russian Federation. The songs keep playing on the radio. All this creates conditions for making money, and subsequently the money is sent to support our enemy,” the appeal says.

In April 2022, “Bi-2” refused to perform at a concert in Omsk against the backdrop of the banner “For the President.” Following this, the group postponed several performances. In June of this year, Yegor Bortnik was recognized as a foreign agent. As the Ministry of Justice explained, the musician opposed the special operation and spoke negatively towards the Russians. The band has been performing abroad for the past few months.

Lusine Balasyan