Ukrainian authorities have blacklisted American singer Fred Durst ‘in the interests of guaranteeing the security of our state.’ Durst is married to a woman born on the Crimean Peninsula.
The national security service has banned Durst from entering Ukraine for the next five years, Ukrainian media and the Russian Interfax agency reported on Monday.
The musician is to be denied entry “in the interests of guaranteeing the security of our state,” the Ukrainian online outlet Apostrof reported, citing the security officials.
Russian media quoted Durst in October as saying he “would be happy” with a Russian passport and a “nice little house in Crimea.” The 45-year old leader of the American band “Limp Bizkit” is married to Crimean-born Kseniya Beryazina.
He performed concerts in Russia earlier this year and also publicly stated he intended to tour Ukraine. A picture of the singer on stage, holding a flag saying “Crimea=Russia,” also surfaced during his Russian tour.
Aiming for Beverly Hills
Durst is the latest in a line of Western celebrities banned from Ukraine, reportedly over their pro-Russian attitudes.
Earlier this year, Ukraine blacklisted boxing legend Roy Jones Jr, after he obtained a Russian passport. The French-born actor Gerard Depardieu has also been banned from travelling to the ex-Soviet state. US movie director Oliver Stone and the action star Steven Seagal are also prohibited from visiting Ukraine, according to the Russian media.
In August, the Ukrainian government blacklisted a number of Russian books, movies and TV shows after accusing Russia of “information warfare.”
Following the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict, the authorities in the Russian-annexed Crimea invited famous actors and musicians to apply for Russian citizenship and move to the Black Sea peninsula. The officials also pledged their help in creating a Crimean version of the American celebrity quarter Beverly Hills.
