Latvia has added 25 Russian celebrities to its list barring entry to the former Soviet republic over their support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Foreign Ministry said on March 24 that those blacklisted will not be allowed to enter the NATO and EU member for an “indefinite period of time.”

Many of the 25 Russians included on the list took part in a public event held at Moscow’s Luzhniki sports stadium last week to support President Vladimir Putin and back Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which began one month ago.

People watch a broadcast of Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech during a concert marking the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea outside Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on March 18.
People watch a broadcast of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech during a concert marking the eighth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea outside Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on March 18.

The list includes popular actor Vladimir Mashkov, internationally known for his work in the 2001 film Behind Enemy Lines and the 2011 blockbuster Mission Impossible — Ghost Protocol, and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov.

Actress Masha Mashkova, Mashkov’s daughter, who lives in the United States, told CNN on March 22 that her father lived “in a different reality.”

“It’s just unthinkable and surreal. And the fact that so many Russian people, including my dad, believe that this violence is somehow justified, it breaks my heart,” she said.

Other Russian celebrities blacklisted by Latvia include conductor and opera company director Valery Gergiyev, dancer Sergei Polunin, singers Polina Gagarina, Nikolai Rastorguyev, and Stas Mikhailov, and piano player Denis Matsuyev.