Main points
- Dieter Bohlen's concerts in Lithuania, which were scheduled to take place in Klaipeda and Kaunas on November 20 and 21, respectively, were canceled due to his pro-Russian statements.
- Bohlen was critical of the cooling of German-Russian relations and supported the purchase of energy resources from Russia, which probably caused the cancellation of the concerts.
Dieter Bohlen/Getty Images
Concerts by German singer and former Modern Talking member Dieter Bohlen have been canceled in Lithuania. He was scheduled to perform in Klaipeda on November 20 and Kaunas on November 21.
This is reported by the Lithuanian broadcaster LRT.
On Friday, links to Dieter Bohlen's concerts disappeared from the ticket sales system, and information about them is no longer available on the websites of the Šviturio and Žalgiris arenas, where the singer was scheduled to perform.
The Lithuanian broadcaster has received confirmation from ticket sellers that tickets for the concerts will not be sold.
Yes, the concert in Kaunas has been canceled. We consulted with the organizers and agreed that such an event should not take place in our arena,
– said the head of the event organization at the Zalgiris Arena.
Bolen's concerts were supposed to be organized by Spark Live. It is unknown why the singer's performances were canceled, but his recent interviews, excerpts of which were circulated online, could have been the reason.
The singer criticized the cooling of German-Russian relations, called for buying energy resources from Russia, and claimed that Germany and Russia were a dream team.
Three years ago, Dieter criticized the sanctions that the West imposed against Russia, and recently stated that “Ukraine has no chance against Russia.”
LRT notes that Dieter Bohlen is the second foreign artist this week whose concerts in Lithuania have been canceled due to his sympathies with Russia. This is a performance by Croatian cellist Stepan Hauser, which was scheduled to take place in Vilnius' Kalnu Park in August.
Svetlana Zakharova's performance in Rome canceled
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As a reminder, the other day, a performance by Russian ballerina Svetlana Zakharova in Rome was canceled. The prima ballerina of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater was excluded from the dance gala concert Les Etoiles .
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The organizers decided to cancel the performance because they received “institutional messages that emphasized the symbolic responsibility of cultural institutions in the current context.”
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At the same time, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini criticized the decision, calling it “Russophobia.” “We must make efforts to stop this war. Excluding Russian dancers, artists or athletes does not solve the conflict, but only complicates it,” he said.
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A native of Lutsk, Zakharova is a supporter of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. She was a deputy from the United Russia party.