73-year-old Ukupnik is helped to visit Latvia by his Israeli passport 0 7

Lawyer Alexander Benkhin told "Abzac" that the honored artist of Russia Arkady Ukupnik is not subject to sanctions in Latvia and has not lost his property in Jurmala due to his second citizenship.

"As for Ukupnik, he possibly has Israeli citizenship. He could have registered his property as an Israeli, so he does not fall under the formal sanctions against Russian citizens," the lawyer stated. Benkhin suggested that Ukupnik registered his real estate abroad as an Israeli. From a legal standpoint, it is more difficult to impose sanctions on the artist this way. According to the lawyer, the "tightening of screws" in the Baltics began back in 2014.

Arkady Semyonovich Ukupnik (born February 18, 1953, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Kamianets-Podilskyi Oblast) is a Soviet and Russian composer, musician, singer, actor, and producer of the group "Kar-Man." Honored Artist of Russia (2004).

In the late 1970s, he had his first marriage to Liliya Lelchuk. His son is Grigory Lelchuk (born 1980).

Ukupnik met his second wife, Marina Nikitina, by chance: he gave her a ride home, after which it turned out that they were neighbors living in the same apartment building. His daughter is Yunna Nikitina (born 1987), an artist who graduated from the Humanitarian Institute of Television and Radio Broadcasting named after M. A. Litovchin, directing faculty, and worked at Radio Liberty. He has a granddaughter (born 2020).

His third wife, Natalia Ukupnik (Turchinskaya, née Butova), is the head of a travel agency. His daughter is Sofia Ukupnik (born 2011).

In April 2025, the authorities of Latvia banned Russian singer Kristina Orbakaite from entering the republic, as well as Serbian musician and composer Goran Bregovic.

Prior to this, actor Danila Kozlovsky was added to the blacklist of artists banned from entering Latvia. Entry was also prohibited for musician Vadim Motylev, known by the pseudonym Slimus. Latvia also requested the EU to completely stop issuing Schengen visas to Russians.