The artist Maksym Galkin was not allowed to enter the Balls

Border guards at the Indonesian airport Denpasar did not allow the Russian comedian Maksym Galkin to enter the country. On January 27, he was supposed to give a concert on the island of Baly. However, he was detained at the airport and denied entry, despite having a tourist visa. According to “Dozhd”, Galkin was told that his passport is on a certain “black list”. It is not specified what this list is.

Last November, the concerts of Galkin and another comedian, Ruslan Bely, were canceled in Thailand. The Russian agency TASS then reported with a reference to a source in the Thai entertainment industry that the reason for the cancellation could be the political position of the artists, since “local authorities react very harshly if artists allow political statements from the stage.”

Journalist and presenter of “Dozhdya” Anna Mongait clarifies that other Russian artists who do not hide their oppositional views, such as Zemfira and Oksimiron, have been on tour in Indonesia, but they did not encounter any obstacles.

• Maxim Galkin has been opposing the war since the very beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. In 2022, he left Russia. Federal channels refused to advertise with his participation, the artist was removed from the “Tonight” program on Channel One, and later was recognized as a foreign agent. Galkin has repeatedly spoken out against the war, both on social networks and at his concerts abroad, including in support of Ukraine.