(Source: http://www.panaiotov.com)

The Georgian authorities have canceled a performance of the Theatre of Sergei Bezrukov in Tbilisi that was scheduled for May. This decision was made by the Chamber of Culture of Georgia on Wednesday after publishing of the open letter by the 150 workers of culture in support of the Russian authorities’ policy regarding Ukraine. The list of the signatories of the message includes the People's Artist of Russia Sergei Bezrukov.

“In connection with the letter of the People's Artists of Russia who support President Vladimir Putin concerning the Crimea, the Chamber of Culture of Georgia has decided to cancel the scheduled tour of the Theatre of Sergei Bezrukov in Tbilisi in May” - the statement of the Chamber says. “We want to express support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people who are friendly to us” – as is reported in the statement.  

These are the first sanctions applied to the Russian workers of culture because of Moscow's official position on the Crimea. Previously, the similar steps were taken only by Moscow itself. For example, the performances of the Ukrainian band “Okean Elzy” and the Belarusian band “Lyapis Troubetzkoy” in Russia were cancelled for the performance on the Maidan and the support for Ukrainian revolution.

“Okean Elzy” scheduled their concerts within the world tour for March - April in St. Petersburg, Omsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Kurgan, Barnaul, Krasnoyarsk and other Russian cities. However, at the end of February after the band's performance at the Independence Square in Kiev the deputy of St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly Vitaliy Milonov asked the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation to ban the tour of “Okean Elzy” in Russia. “I think that it will also be useful to put the band’s leader Svyatoslav Vakarchuk into a list of the persons undesired in Russia, for he is an active and implacable foe of the Russian state” – Milonov said in his address.