Ukraine Criticizes 'The White Lotus' for Casting Pro-Putin Actor Bikovic

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed strong disapproval of HBO's decision to cast Serbian actor Miloš Biković in the upcoming season of "The White Lotus." The Ministry accuses Biković of being a pro-Russian actor, citing his support of Russia's occupation of Crimea, his collaboration with Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov, and his reception of the Pushkin Medal from Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018. Biković, who was granted Russian citizenship in 2021, has been banned from entering Ukraine and has participated in a project filmed in Crimea.

The Ukrainian government has labeled Biković as a supporter of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has taken issue with HBO's association with him, suggesting it violates international law and supports genocide. The casting decision has been met with controversy, particularly on social media, where the Ministry posted a video and a mock image of Biković wearing a sign with the words "Genocide Supporter." The Ukrainian government's stance is that engaging with Biković, given his ties to Russia and its actions in Ukraine, is inappropriate. HBO has not publicly responded to the accusations at the time of reporting.