Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite has asked President Gitanas Nausedas to revoke the Lithuanian citizenship of figure skater Margarita Drobiazko because of her participation in Tatiana Navka's ice shows. BNS has reviewed the letter from the Interior Ministry.
The ministry believes that Drobyazko, who lives in Russia, «publicly expresses support for a state that poses a threat to Lithuania's security interests.» At the same time, receiving Lithuanian citizenship in an exceptional manner, she took an oath to Lithuania, the Ministry of Internal Affairs added.
The figure skater participates in performances on ice organized by Tatyana Navka, the wife of the press secretary of Russian President Dmitry Peskov.
According to the Lithuanian security officials, such events «contribute to the formation of the image of Russia as a great country organizing exceptional events in the world.» This, in turn, helps “develop the narrative of the regime of the Russian Federation about the ‘peace of Russia’”; and strengthening the powers of the regime of the Russian Federation.”
Deputy Interior Minister Arnoldas Abramavičius claims that Drobiazko “morally” and “financially” supports Russia, his words are quoted by LRT. In addition, the official drew attention to the «close contact» of the athlete with Navka, who has property in the annexed Crimea.
Drobyazko, who had Russian citizenship, also became a citizen of Lithuania in 1993. She received a new passport «for merits in the field of sports», as she represented the country at the Olympic Games, speaking together with Lithuanian Povilas Vanags. Last year, after the couple's performance in Sochi, the President of Lithuania ordered to deprive them of all state awards.
The migration department noted that the skaters never returned the awards. “This testifies to Drobyazko’s complete disrespect for the institution of the President of Lithuania, and at the same time for the Lithuanian state as a whole,” the representatives of the department added.