Russian singer Grigory Leps, sanctioned by the European Union over his support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, apologizes for dismissive remarks about Russian family incomes
Russian singer Grigory Leps has apologized for remarks in which he suggested that most Russian families get by on a monthly income of 200,000 to 300,000 rubles.
He said he has deep respect for people “who provide for their families through their own work, raise children, and tackle difficult challenges every day.”
“I grew up in an ordinary family and know well that life has its different seasons. I know that many people are having a hard time right now. And if my words came across as though I don’t understand that, or that I don’t treat it with proper respect — that is not at all what I meant to say. I apologize. With all my heart, I wish everyone health, happiness, prosperity, and peace at home,” the musician wrote on his Telegram channel.
Leps made the remarks in an interview with Emin Agalarov published on July 12. Agalarov asked Leps what monthly income would let him stop thinking about money and simply live an absolutely comfortable life. Leps said such a figure exists but declined to name it:
Every family has its own expenses. There are families — and most families in our country, and not only in our country — where the household income is between 200,000 and 300,000 rubles. They manage to feed two children, clothe themselves and their children, and send them to school. And there are families who earn a million dollars a day and still feel it’s not enough. There is, of course, a figure, but it’s abstract — on the level of “what if.” There is a sum of money that would let me stop thinking about music and about anything at all. But as the years go by, the need for money fades. You come to understand that there are values in life, and there are passing fancies.
Leps has spoken out in support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has been subject to European Union sanctions since December 2022. From 2013 to 2023, he appeared on the U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions list: American officials alleged that he had transported money for Vladislav Leontyev, a crime boss identified as the head of the criminal organization known as the Brothers’ Circle. Leps has called the accusations absurd.
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