Oleg Gazmanov

In the Soviet-nostalgic song "" ('', ), which was originally released in 2005, Gazmanov glorified the past of the Soviet Union, presenting various personalities of the Tsarist and Soviet past as being parts of the nation. The New York Times'' claims he presented Lenin and Stalin as national heroes. In December 2013, Gazmanov was criticised by the Lithuanian authorities for performing "" on the 20th anniversary of the Russian constitution and was threatened to be banned from his concert performance in Vilnius on 29 December. In August 2015, the Security Service of Ukraine added Gazmanov to the list of cultural figures whose activities pose a threat to the national security of Ukraine. With Gazmanov's participation, the song has since been abused as a nationalist rallying cry and was performed at the 2022 Moscow rally. Gazmanov later wrote other, nationalistic songs like "" (, ), which was answered by Nogu Svelo! with the song "" (, ) to a popular football tune. ==Personal life==

He said that his father was Belarusian and his mother was Jewish, but he himself feels Russian. He has married twice and has three children. ==Sanctions==

In July 2014, Gazmanov was banned from entering Latvia by foreign minister Edgars Rinkēvičs for "through words and actions having contributed to the undermining of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity". Commenting on the Latvian Foreign Minister's decision, Gazmanov said, "This gesture right before the opening of the New Wave festival in Jūrmala endangers the entire cultural and economic relations between our countries." In August 2015, the Security Service of Ukraine placed Gazmanov on the list of artists whose activity posed a threat to Ukraine's national security. In August 2016, the Lithuanian government also denied his entry to Lithuania at Vilnius Airport. ==Popular songs==

• "Ofitsery" • "Moskva" • "Nikto krome nas" • "Moi yasnye dni" • "Eskadron" • "Esaul" • "A Ya Devushek Lyublyu" • "Dozhdis" • "Dolya" • "Na Zare" • "Svezhyi Veter" • "Edinstvennaya" (by Philipp Kirkorov) • "Tuman" • "Zagulyal" • "Greshnyi put" (by Valery Leontiev) • "Belyi sneg" (by Valery Leontiev) • "Moryachka" • "Baltiyskiy Bereg" • "Zabiray" (duet with Sofia Rotaru) • "Proshay" • "Vpered Rossiya" • "Sdelan v SSSR" ==Awards==

• Candidate for Master of Sport of the USSR • Meritorious Artist of Russia (1995) • People's Artist of Russia (2002) • Order of Honour (2006) ==References==