Many fans worried about the fate of Leva Bi-2, aka Igor Bortnik (or Egor, his birth name) in January 2024. Let us remind you that the group “Bi-2” was detained in Phuket due to lack of permission to hold concerts. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of Israeli diplomats, the artists were released from prison. At the same time, the 51-year-old rock musician and singer announced that he was no longer going to live in the Russian Federation. After this statement, the number of search queries on the topic of who Leva Bi-2 is by nationality and what citizenship is Igor Bortnik sharply increased.
ContentWho are Leva Bi-2’s parents? Who is Leva Bi-2 by nationality? What is Leva Bi-2’s citizenship?
WomanEL decided to answer these popular questions on the Internet and share interesting facts about one of the founders and leaders of the Bi-2 group.
Who are Leva Bi-2's parents
Egor Bortnik was born in Minsk into an intelligent Jewish family in 1972. His father, Bortnik Mikhail Vasilyevich, was a radiophysicist and professor. Mother – Bortnik Natalya Fedorovna – certified philologist.
He spent his childhood in Africa, and it was there that the nickname Lev appeared. The father, a teacher at the University of the Congo, brought his son a lion's fang. Yegor liked it so much that he wore it as a decoration around his neck and never took it off. Local children began to call him Lev, and his parents – Lyovushka.
And Igor… Where did the name Igor Bortnik come from? When the USSR collapsed, Alexander Uman (aka Shura Bi-2), a friend and colleague of Yegor, moved to Israel. Leva followed him. When he was at the airport, the Israeli passport officer mixed up his name and wrote Igor in his passport. Let us remind you that in Israel, Jews are given citizenship right at the airport. And that’s exactly how his third name appeared. By the way, in his historical homeland, Yegor was drafted into the army and he served in the IDF for three years.
Who is Leva Bi-2 by nationality
Igor Bortnik with his wife Asya Streicher, Source: instagram.com/asjab2
Although Yegor Bortnik’s nationality is Jewish, it is not 100% known or not, because little is known about the origins of his parents. Leva often said that his grandfather (apparently on his mother’s side) was the famous Belarusian poet Arkady Kuleshov.
The surname, Bortnik, belongs to a fairly common group of Jewish surnames. Beekeeping is the collection of honey from wild bees. The surname is found not only in the Russian Federation and Belarus, but also in Ukraine (especially in the Kyiv and Volyn regions). It is listed in the list of Jewish surnames of Galicia in the Dictionary of Jewish Surnames.
His Jewish roots are important to the artist: he and his second wife (Asya Streicher) named their sons Aviv and David. As for religion, Leva says that he is an atheist.
What is Leva Bi-2's citizenship
How you guessed it, Leva has Israeli citizenship. But it is unique, unlike the other founder of Bi-2 – he is both Israeli and Australian. Leva is very proud to be Israeli. When the musicians were detained in January 2024, representatives of his country made sure that he and his friends (some of whom only had Russian citizenship) were released. Despite her Israeli citizenship, Leva lives in Spain.
If you are interested in biographical facts about Russian stars who supported Ukraine, we also told you what Makarevich’s nationality is.
