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Vilnius Regional Administrative Court has dismissed the appeal filed by applicant Philipp Kirkorov, a dual citizen of Russia and Bulgaria, against the decision of the respondent Migration Department.

In his appeal, the applicant requested to annul the decision of the Migration Department under the Ministry of the Interior as of 19 January 2021, whereby he had been banned to enter the Republic of Lithuania until 18 January 2026 and had been added to the national blacklist of foreigners who are denied entry to the Republic of Lithuania.

Having heard the administrative case, the court stated that the Migration Department had passed a decision to ban a foreign national to enter the Republic of Lithuania in view of the information provided by a competent authority – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – that the foreign national poses a threat to national security.

In its letter to the Migration Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Philipp Kirkorov was a popular Russian performer and producer who made an impact on ample layers of society in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union due to his active performance and organisational activities and that Russia’s officials openly described his performance activity in foreign countries as a tool for spreading the ‘soft power’ of the Russian Federation. Mr. Kirkorov has been regularly visiting and performing in the Crimean Peninsula annexed illegally by the Russian Federation, thus deliberately denying the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and indirectly justifying the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation. He has been blacklisted in Ukraine and denied entry to this country due to these actions. In the ministry’s view, Mr. Kirkorov’s visits to Lithuania may pose a threat to the security of the Republic of Lithuania.

Having regard to the Resolution on the Condemnation of the Ongoing Occupation and Annexation of Crimea adopted by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 16 March 2017 and having assessed the content of the information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the court concluded that the Migration Department had a reason to admit that the nature of the applicant’s actions provided the grounds for acknowledging the threat posed by him to national security. The case offers no evidence that would negate the legality of this finding.

The court has also pointed out that the applicant’s argument that the remedy imposed against him is disproportionate and discriminatory is legally unfounded.

An appeal against this decision can be lodged with the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania within 14 days.