Lithuania has canceled Dieter Bohlen's concerts due to his support for Russia

Lithuanian authorities and concert venues have announced the cancellation of performances by 1980s star Dieter Bohlen and Croatian musician Stepan Hauser. 

According to LRT on March 22, 2026, the reason for this decision was the artists’ public support of Russian narratives and criticism of international sanctions. The founder of the band Modern Talking was scheduled to perform in Klaipėda and Kaunas in November, but the venue administration, in agreement with the organizers, withdrew tickets from sale due to the musician’s anti-Ukrainian statements.

In recent interviews, Dieter Bohlen openly called on Germany to purchase energy resources from Russia and questioned Ukraine’s ability to resist aggression, calling the cooperation between Berlin and Moscow a “dream team.” For his part, cellist Hauser faced a cultural backlash after posting a video of himself performing a Russian melody against the backdrop of the Kremlin. Lithuanian society showed zero tolerance for such actions, despite the musician’s attempts to justify himself by subsequently posting performances of Ukrainian works.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, together with the Center for Countering Disinformation, released information on ten Russian public figures who openly support Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine and justify the occupation of Ukrainian territories.

Ukraine is preparing a mechanism to block Russian performers on music streaming platforms through sanctions imposed by the National Security and Defense Council. An initial list of approximately 120 artists from the Russian Federation has already been compiled.