Illegal rockers: what happened to the group “Bi-2” in Thailand

The rock group “Bi-2” found itself at the center of a major scandal. On January 25, the musicians were detained in Thailand after another concert. The reason was the lack of a work permit, according to the Phuket Provincial Tourist Police Department. Now the artists face deportation.

What decision did the Thai court ultimately make? Why did the Bi-2 participants refuse the help of the Russian consul? Is it true that the lead singer of the rock band Leva* fled to Israel? We’ll tell you in the material REN TV.

Detention of the Bi-2 group in Thailand

The musicians of the Bi-2 group were detained in Thailand on January 25, immediately after their next concert. According to the Phuket Provincial Tourist Police Department, the artists did not have work permits.

“Police officers in Patong detained seven people on Wednesday, one Israeli and six Russians, the reason for the arrest was the lack of a work permit. We are talking about the rock group “Bi-2”, – stated in the department.

According to the band’s press service, the musicians managed to give two concerts in Thailand: one took place on January 22 in Pattaya, and the other in Phuket on January 24.

Already on January 26, seven members of “Bi-2” were sentenced. According to the court’s decision, each of the artists must pay a fine of $85 and then immediately leave Thailand.

“The defendants are sentenced to a fine of 3 thousand Thai baht ($85) each,” – the document says.

Let us remind you that the Bi-2 rockers also left Russia with a scandal. In the spring of 2023, the Ministry of Justice recognized the lead singer of the group, Egor Bortnik*, performing under the pseudonym Lev, as a foreign agent.

Where can rock musicians be deported?

In the near future, the Bi-2 participants should be deported from Thailand, and at their own expense. The artists will be sent to their country of citizenship, said “Izvestia” Consul General of Russia in Phuket Vladimir Sosnov.

“Deportation is carried out at the expense of the deportee, that is, he buys a ticket for a flight, is taken to the airport and put on the flight. Deportation is carried out to the country of nationality of the offender,” – he specified.

Later, information appeared in the media that most of the members of the Bi-2 group would be deported to Israel. Ynet noted that all the artists detained in Thailand have Russian passports. Moreover, four musicians are also Israeli citizens, one has Australian citizenship and one has American citizenship.

As of January 30, five members of Bi-2 with Russian citizenship were in the temporary detention center of the Royal Police Immigration Bureau in Bangkok. This was reported by the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Thailand.

“We have received a notification from the Thai immigration authorities that these Russian citizens are in the temporary detention center of the Thai Immigration Bureau of the Police,” – the department said.

As specified, the following were detained for violating the labor code: drummer Boris Livshits, flautist and keyboard player Yan Nikolenko, guitarist Andrei Zvonkov, bassist Maxim Andryushchenko and arranger Gleb Kolyadin.

The detained Bi-2 musicians refused to meet with the Russian diplomat. According to the head of the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Thailand, Ilya Ilyin, the department promptly organized a visit to the group members with Russian citizenship.

“It took place on January 30, but the group members refused to meet with the Russian consul,” – said in the statement.

Leva* “Bi-2” left for Israel

Later, the scandalous rock musicians announced that the decision to deport them from Thailand to Israel was canceled. Since two of the five detainees have Russian and Israeli passports, they can travel to any of these countries. Three members of Bi-2 have only Russian citizenship, so the only possible country for their deportation is Russia.

“Whoever has only a Russian passport, then in this case there is the possibility of deportation only to Russia. There is no other option,” – explained at the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Thailand.

However, once in the Royal Police Immigration Bureau detention center, detainees cannot be deported without their consent. If they refuse to leave, they have the right to be kept in the center for 5 or 10 years. As the consular department of the Russian Embassy clarified, such cases occur in practice, and nothing can be done in such a situation.

On the evening of January 30, Bi-2 lead singer Leva* (real name Yegor Bortnik) was spotted at the Bangkok airport. He was preparing to board a flight to Tel Aviv. The correspondent managed to shoot a video with the musician REN TV.

When asked by a journalist why the group was not flying out in full force, Bortnik* replied that they had “different flights.” Later, the rock group confirmed on social networks that the Bi-2 lead singer had flown to Israel. The rest of the musicians, according to data for January 30, remain in a migration prison.

* Recognized in Russia as an individual performing the functions of a foreign agent.