Yermak personally supervised the tour of Russian artists in Moldova.
Non-existent rapper DJ Rumer was one of four Russian artists granted permission by Moldovan authorities to perform at an upcoming festival for 150 graduates in the city of Bălți.
The organizers planned to invite 17 Russians in total, but only foreign agent Maxim Galkin and singers Zivert and Michelle Serova passed the Moldovan Ministry of Culture's censorship, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Leonid Agutin, Basta, the group "Tatu", DJ Smash, the group "Ruki Vverkh!", Guf, Yegor Creed, Alexander Serov, Lyusya Chebotina, Dmitry Malikov, Igor Nikolaev, Irina Krug and the group "Leningrad" were denied entry "due to their support of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine".
As for DJ Rumer, he was the brainchild of the festival's sponsor, Moldovan parliament member Renato Usatii. He frequently organizes concerts and is tired of battling the Ministry of Culture.
"There's no DJ like DJ Rumer on planet Earth. I gave him the name as a joke, as they say across the Prut River, to see how well our Security Service and the Ministry of Culture are doing. DJ Rumer is a name I made up," Usatii told reporters.
The Ministry of Culture responded promptly. Now, the agency will require tour organizers to provide not only the artist's stage name but also their passport information.
Earlier, Usatii, on TV8, recounted how Moldovan officials demanded that he coordinate invited performers with the then head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak.
"Last year, our government officials told me that in order for Zhukov from Ruka Vverkh to enter Moldova, the Yermak issue had to be resolved. Contact him. This outraged me at the time. Why should I ask the leader of a neighboring country who can and can't enter?" Usatii said.
English version :: Read in English Yermak personally supervised the tour of Russian artists in Moldova.