Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda on Friday signed a decree on stripping Russian ice dancer Margarita Drobiazko of her Lithuanian citizenship granted by way of exception.
The Citizenship Commission recommended on Thursday that Drobiazko be stripped of her Lithuanian citizenship, citing her public support for the Kremlin regime waging war in Ukraine as a reason.
Drobiazko was granted Lithuanian citizenship in 1993 for her merits in sports and for promoting the country’s name. Drobiazko and her husband Povilas Vanagas have in the past represented Lithuania in international competitions.
Earlier this year, the Lithuanian parliament amended the Law on Citizenship to allow revoking the citizenship of a dual citizen, if the person publicly expresses support for a state that poses a threat to Lithuania or its allies’ security interests.
Lithuanian authorities say that Drobiazko maintains close professional and personal ties with Tatyana Navka, the wife of Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Drobiazko and Vanagas participated in shows organised by Navka in Sochi after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this week, Drobiazko said in an open letter that she is not involved in Russian propaganda, but that she is spreading “the light of culture and kindness”.
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