Grigory Leps (real name Grigory Lepsveridze) is a Russian vocalist of Georgian origin, People's Artist of the Russian Federation (2022). Ranked as the highest-earning singer in Russia in 2013, 2014, and 2015. He was born on July 16, 1962, in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia.
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Entered into the "Myrotvorets" database as a person who illegally visited Russian-occupied Crimea, deliberately violating the state border of Ukraine.
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Included in the List of persons posing a threat to the national security of Ukraine.
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All creative works involving Grigory Leps are legally banned in Ukraine.
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In 2018, performed at the concert celebrating the opening of the Crimean Bridge.
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On May 3, 2019, Lithuania banned Leps from entering, and on November 1, 2019, Latvia also declared him persona non grata.
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On May 11, 2022, visited temporarily occupied Donbas, performing in support of Russian troops.
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On December 16, 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, added to the European Union sanctions list for publicly supporting the war. The European Union noted that Leps traveled to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and performed at a concert supporting the self-proclaimed "DPR", thereby embedding his actions into the Russian government's propaganda campaign.
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Since January 7, 2023, under sanctions by Ukraine's NSDC for anti-Ukrainian activities.
- On July 5, 2024, YouTube terminated Grigory Leps's channel for active participation in concerts across temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and state propaganda events.
Grigory Leps's stance on the war in Ukraine
Supports Putin's regime and Russia's war against Ukraine.
On June 19, 2023, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Grigory Leps together with Nikolay Baskov pledged to pay Russian soldiers a bounty of 1 million rubles for each destroyed Leopard tank.
Any such Leopard tank—one million rubles. As artists, we make our contribution to support our fighters. So they know they are doing this not just out of civic duty, but because we want them to know we stand right beside them...
These statements triggered a wave of canceled concerts for Leps across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
What Leps says about the war in Ukraine: quotes and statements
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"I am doing what any citizen must do for the country where he lives and that raised him. This country gave me an education, the opportunity to earn money, the ability to marry and father many children—I have four so far. I owe everything to this country. [...] Either the sides reach an agreement, or we will fight to the bitter end."
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"I am a citizen of my country, I respect my president, and everything he does I consider right. I trust him, I respect him, I value him. Whether I support what happened in Crimea is a twofold question. You can spin it both ways. For Russia, having Crimea is probably very advantageous. If the president of our country decided so, then so be it."
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"There is no need to amaze anyone, and I do not view this (visiting Donbas) as a heroic act. The heroes are on the front line and in their graves. We are living people, musicians, people of our country, and if we work in it, we are obligated to serve it. I simply serve my country; I don't curry favor."
Leps's social media posts about the war in Ukraine
Celebrities on Leps's stance on the war
The gut of an animal. Everything was obvious back when I told you «NO». Drive deeper, don't run away so fast—we will welcome you properly! You will be food for the worms. We despise the «king.
