Kyrgyzstan: Culture Ministry Denies Reports of Ban on Valery Meladze Concert

Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Culture said it has no information about a ban on a concert by singer Valery Meladze in the country, responding to reports circulated by Russian media, Orda.kz reports, citing Azattyq.

Earlier, several Russian outlets claimed that Kyrgyz authorities had allegedly refused to approve Meladze’s concert. According to those reports, the decision was supposedly linked to a desire to maintain close relations with Russia and to avoid political slogans during the event.

The claims were attributed to media manager Pavel Rudchenko and published by the outlet Abzats.

Meladze had planned to perform in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan as part of a tour marking his 60th birthday. According to Mash, the artist’s team allegedly sent letters of guarantee to Central Asian authorities ahead of the tour, pledging to avoid political incidents during the concerts.

Russian media reported that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan agreed to host the performances, while Kyrgyzstan allegedly declined.

Valery Meladze himself had not commented on the situation at the time of publication.

Background

In 2023, the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office announced plans to investigate Meladze for possible financing of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The move followed a video from a concert in Dubai in which the singer quietly responded “Glory to the Heroes” after an audience member shouted “Glory to Ukraine.”

Later that year, his concerts were canceled in several Russian cities, and some lawmakers and public figures called for him to be stripped of state honors and labeled a foreign agent.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov