Latvia adds Ksenia Sobchak to undesirable persons list

Latvia’s foreign minister has added Russian television and online presenter Ksenia Sobchak to the country’s list of undesirable persons, LSM reported. Sobchak is barred from entering Latvia for an indefinite period.

Foreign Minister Baiba Braže of New Unity said the decision was made under Section 104(3)(1) of the Immigration Law, which gives the foreign minister authority to decide whether a foreign national should be included on the list.

The list also now includes Konstantin Bogomolov, a theatre director and Sobchak’s husband, according to publicly available information. He has previously staged productions at Liepāja Theatre.

Sobchak has been involved in Russian politics and was once presented as an opponent of President Vladimir Putin. The late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, however, viewed her as a political manoeuvre by Putin’s regime to draw votes away from the genuine opposition. Sobchak’s father, Anatoly Sobchak, was formerly mayor of St Petersburg, where Putin began his political career in his office.

Latvian foreign ministers have regularly added entertainment industry figures to the list during the war after they demonstrated support for the policies of aggressor states.