Latvia bans Ksenia Sobchak and Konstantin Bogomolov from entering the country indefinitely

Latvia has put journalist Ksenia Sobchak and her husband, director Konstantin Bogomolov, on its list of persons undesirable for the country and banned them from entering. This was reported by Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže.

According to Braže, the ban is for an indefinite period. She wrote on X that the Russian propagandist and her husband, director Konstantin Bogomolov, have been added to the list of undesirable persons. Braže described Sobchak and Bogomolov as citizens of Russia.

According to Braže, the decision was taken under point d of part 3 of Article 104 of Latvia's Immigration Law. This point allows entry to be banned over a threat to national security or for foreign policy reasons.

What exactly prompted the ban has not been reported: the minister did not name specific reasons.

Sobchak herself responded: "As usual, I learned 'from the papers.'"

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Latvia has repeatedly introduced similar restrictions for Russian celebrities. In April 2025, entry was banned for Kristina Orbakaite, who holds Lithuanian citizenship, and for musician Goran Bregović. In May, actor Danila Kozlovsky and rapper Slimus were put on the ban list.

Later the ban extended to TV presenter Ekaterina Andreeva, actor Pavel Priluchny, hockey player Alexander Ovechkin and Umar Kremlev, head of the International Boxing Association. The list also includes Russia's former culture minister Mikhail Shvydkoy, designer Artemy Lebedev, and singers Shaman and Nadezhda Babkina.

In October 2026, the Latvian authorities notified journalist Leonid Ragozin that he was being expelled from the country. The interior minister said he had publicly expressed opinions contrary to the interests of the Latvian state.

Sobchak has repeatedly visited Latvia, including to film interviews. In April 2022 she said she had travelled from Moscow to Riga for 17 hours in order to film. In May, an interview with director Vitaly Mansky, recorded in Riga, was published on her YouTube channel. In August of the same year, according to media reports, she was on holiday in Jūrmala with Bogomolov, her son Platon and the director's daughter Anna.

In October 2022, Sobchak left Russia amid a criminal case over extortion from Sergei Chemezov, head of the state corporation Rostec. She travelled through Belarus to Lithuania, using an Israeli passport. Russian state news agencies later reported that she had returned to Russia via the Latvian border and apologised to Chemezov for the "actions of her colleagues." Two years later, Sukhanov was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison in the extortion case.

In February 2023, Sobchak confirmed that she had received an Israeli passport. According to her, she decided to obtain the document when "the world around began to collapse," in order to protect herself and her family. She has kept her Russian citizenship.

In February 2025, Latvia extended its ban on issuing visas to citizens of Belarus and Russia until 31 December 2026. Exceptions remain for family members of citizens of Latvia and the EU, and for holders of a residence permit.

From 1 January 2026, updated requirements apply to Belarusians: a valid foreign passport is mandatory even for short trips, and passports issued in 2006 are not accepted. In June 2026 the rules were tightened: 48 hours before a trip, travellers must report the purpose, length of stay, place of residence, route and contact details.