playing on the "Je Suis Charlie" slogan used in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shooting. In response to calls for retaliatory sanctions, Russia's culture minister Vladimir Medinsky said that Moscow could not impose equal sanctions on the EU, because "Europe simply lacks a star of the same standing as Kobzon." Kobzon returned to Donbas one week following the EU's decision. This was his second humanitarian mission to the region delivering medications to hospitals in Luhansk, and giving another free concert "to support local residents". "Going to a Kobzon concert" The "Kobzon Concert" meme arose after the murder of Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of the self-proclaimed DPR, which took place on August 31, 2018. At that time, jokes were spread in Ukrainian social networks that Zakharchenko went to the "Kobzon concert", who died the day before - on August 30. After the 24 February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the phrase in Ukrainian sent to a Kobzon concert () grew in popularity to denote that a pro Russia combatant who was "going to a Kobzon concert" had met a quick death. Personal life Kobzon has been married three times. In 1965, he married the singer, ; then in 1969 Kobzon married Lyudmila Gurchenko, one of the best known comic actresses of the Soviet cinema. In 1971, he married Ninel Drizina with whom he had two children. As of October 2012, his daughter, who is banned from entering the United States, holds an Australian passport and lives in England with her husband and three children and his son, who is banned from entering the United States, has three children. Honours and awards Orders Order For Merit to the Fatherland 1st class (26 June 2012) – for outstanding contribution to culture and music; Order For Merit to the Fatherland 2nd class (21 September 2002) – for outstanding contribution to culture and music; Order for Merit for the Fatherland 3rd class (11 September 1997) – for his great personal contribution to the development of musical art; Order of Courage (30 December 2002) – for courage and dedication shown during the rescue of people in a situation involving a risk to life during an act of terrorism at the Moscow theater hostage crisis in October 2002; Order of Friendship of Peoples; Order of Glory (Azerbaijan) (2007) – for services to strengthen cultural ties between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan; Officer of