Ukraine Parliament bans songs by Russian artists, war critics whitelisted

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s national parliament, has banned music created by Russian artists from being played or performed publicly, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, an MP, reports.

The bill was supported by 303 MPs out of 450. Russian artists will not be allowed to perform their music live; recordings of their tracks, as well as video clips will be banned from public reproduction.

However, artists who revoked their Russian citizenship or had no Russian passport when they died will not be banned. Moreover, Ukraine’s Security Service will set up a “whitelist” of Russian artists who criticise or condemn the Ukraine War; such artists will not be banned. The list will be updated regularly and is going to be available for the general public.

The Verkhovna Rada has also banned imports and distribution of books and other printed goods from Belarus, Russia, and temporarily Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine; the bill was supported by 306 MPs.