Russian poetess Irina Astakhova has been banned from entering Ukraine for three years because of her visit to Crimea, Ukrainian State Border Guard Service spokesman Oleh Slobodian said.
“One more person was added to the list of Russian artists subject to an entry ban yesterday. It is a citizen of the Russian Federation, poetess Irina Astakhova,” Slobodian wrote on his Facebook account on August 17.
“Border guards detected her at the Odesa airport during the registration of passengers bound for Minsk. During an additional examination of the grounds for crossing the state border, this person confirmed her entry into the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea via temporarily closed checkpoints. Under current legislation, a decision was made to ban this Russian citizen from entering Ukraine for three years,” he said.
Russian poetess Astakhova, who is popular on social media and uses the pseudonym of Akh Astakhova, performed in Simferopol in 2015.
Media outlets reported earlier that Astakhova held a recital evening in Odesa on August 13 despite threats to thwart the event. No incidents occurred during it.
