The Lithuanian Ministry of Internal Affairs sent a petition to the country’s President Gitanas Nauseda with a proposal to deprive the Russian ballerina and actress Ilze Liepa of citizenship after checking her statements, the department’s press service reports.
On November 13, Lithuania began the process of depriving Liepa of the country’s citizenship. The Migration Department asked “competent departments” to evaluate the ballerina’s statements about the conflict in Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Liepa, through its actions and public statements, poses a threat to the security interests of the Republic of Lithuania,” is how the “responsible departments” assessed the artist’s statements. They emphasized that Liepa supports Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and condemns the policies of the Baltic countries.
The People’s Artist of Russia applied for Lithuanian citizenship in 2000, because she danced with the Lithuanian artist Petras Skirmantas, her application was granted and she was given a Lithuanian passport.
In November 2022, the ballerina gave an interview to the YouTube channel “Empathy Manuchi”. In it, she expressed gratitude to the Russian army for “allowing us to still live,” and also said that she trusts Putin. Liepa also said that she felt sorry for Ukraine. “It’s very sad, there is no joy in misfortune, but we have no other choice,” she said. In addition, the ballerina noted that she was “ashamed” of the Baltic countries, writes RBC.
Source: Rosbalt
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