Russian missile attack on Kiev/Telegram
The three Israeli members of the Russian rock band "B-2" and its three other members, who were arrested in Thailand a few days ago, were released this evening (Wednesday) - and are making their way to Israel on a flight at this time.
This follows the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Embassy in Thailand.
The members of the band join the Israeli citizen who returned earlier this morning from Thailand.
The Asia and Pacific Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department for Israelis Abroad were in contact with the relevant authorities in Israel, with the Israeli Ambassador in Thailand, Orna Shagib, and with the Israeli Consul in Thailand, Eli Sena, who escorted the detained members of the group until they boarded the plane back to Israel. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel "I am happy that we succeeded, through smart and hard diplomatic work, in freeing the Israeli citizens who were arrested in Thailand, along with their bandmates who have foreign citizenships. They all got on the plane to Israel and are doing well. Anyone who saves one soul is as if he saved an entire world."
The three Israeli members of the band and their three other members were arrested last week on the island of Phuket in Thailand, claiming that they appeared without work permits.
Each of them was fined about $95 and they were to be deported from the country.
They were then transferred to an immigration facility in the capital Bangkok area.
They refused to meet the Russian consul.
Later, the decision to deport them, including those who hold Israeli citizenship to Israel, was canceled.
They remained in the country and did not return to Israel due to pressure from Russia.
Israel feared yesterday that Thailand would comply with the Russian demand to extradite them due to their opposition to the war in Ukraine.
The band was founded in 1988 in Belarus, which was then part of the Soviet Union, and became one of the most popular rock bands among Russian speakers.
The two founders of the band are Israelis - Igor Bortnik and Alexander Uman.
Bortnik was even included last May in the list of "foreign agents" of the Ministry of Justice of Russia, although he was born in Belarus and is not a citizen of the country.
were marked by the Kremlin.
"B-2" band/Creative Commons, Reactor691
Their friend, the songwriter Igor Rubinstein, who reported their arrest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then lost contact with them and since then he has been dealing with them through two local lawyers hired for them in Thailand.
"The handling of the Israeli Foreign Ministry can be positively noted. The Department for Israelis Abroad is doing a wonderful job," he told Walla!Tarbut. "This is a distinctly political event.
It is an event whose directing hand is the same hand that spreads poison and evil all over the world.
This is another small but very important front and I feel sorry for my friends who got caught up in this front.
But as in all fronts - the good will overcome the bad and we will win."
He called on the band's fans, "to be aware of what is happening with them, to share updates on the subject because there is not much information." He also said, "You need to be patient and you need a lot of patience.
There are contacts and there are efforts, both on the part of Israel and on the part of other countries and other parties in the world, including important musicians in the world." He asked "not to invent titles and not to run after invented titles.
Someone thought that his inner optimism could be translated into a newspaper headline and he misled many people and disappointed many people including fans and especially family."
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