The 7 members of Bi-2 were arrested last week after playing a concert on the southern resort island of Phuket, reportedly for not having proper working papers.
A dissident Russian rock band angered by Moscow’s war in Ukraine has arrived in Israel after being deported from Thailand under suspected pressure from the Kremlin, the performers said on Thursday.
The seven members of the band Bi-2 were arrested last week after playing a concert on the southern resort island of Phuket, reportedly for not having proper working papers. On Facebook, they said all their concerts “are held in accordance with local laws and practices.”
Phuket is a popular destination for Russian expats and tourists. After paying a fine, the band members were sent to an immigration detention centre in Bangkok.
Speaking in the arrival hall of Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, guitarist and singer Aleksandr “Shura” Uman of Bi-2 said the band was doing well and very tired after their ordeal. He also called the conditions he and his band faced in a Thai jail as “horrible.
