Ukraine protests Israeli tourism invitation to Russian rapper GeeGun

Ukraine’s embassy in Israel has filed an official protest with Israel’s Foreign Ministry over the invitation of Russian-Jewish rapper Denis Ustimenko-Veinshtein, known as GeeGun, to visit Israel as part of a campaign by the Israeli Tourism Ministry. The embassy called the move “immoral and unacceptable,” saying he publicly supports Russia’s war against Ukraine.

GeeGun is described as one of Russia’s most successful rappers, with five million followers on Instagram. He is also a strong supporter of Israel, frequently posting photos with Israeli flags and wearing a kippah. The Ukrainian embassy said the Tourism Ministry invited him on an official basis, and noted that Ustimenko has been on Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council sanctions list since January 2023.

According to the embassy, although GeeGun was born in Odesa, he “openly supports Russian aggression against Ukraine” and mocks Russians who refuse to fight against Ukraine. It said that inviting someone who backs Russian aggression, ignores the deaths of people from his former hometown, and disregards the daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities including Odesa, is unacceptable and immoral.

The embassy said it had delivered a diplomatic protest to Israel’s Foreign Ministry and urged the Israeli government to end all official cooperation with “supporters of Russian terror.” It also asked the Israeli public to boycott events featuring GeeGun and other artists associated with Russian propaganda. The complaint came days after Israel’s embassy in Kyiv protested an event in Independence Square, where chants and gestures with alleged Nazi overtones were seen. Israel said the incident “taints the memory of millions of victims of Nazism” and called on Ukrainian law enforcement to act quickly. The Tourism Ministry had not responded at the time of publication.