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HBO has parted ways with actor Miloš Biković who will no longer be part of The White Lotus‘ upcoming third season set at a Thailand hotel, sources tell Deadline.

The series does not reveal character details but Biković is believed to have been cast in the small recurring role of Russian Valentin, a flirtatious yogi and the hotel’s Life Enhancement Mentor. The part will now be recast as production is about to start in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok.

“I was honored to be chosen to be a part of White Lotus, a TV series that I hold in high regard and with colleagues whom I deeply respect,” Biković said in a statement, which you can read in full below. “However, my participation is not possible due to reasons beyond the realm of art and I will not bow to any narrative that seeks to compromise my integrity.”

The decision comes more than a week after Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called out HBO over the casting of Biković.

Tagging the U.S. network in a video post featuring public comments by Biković, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked: “Is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?”

In the soundbites from Biković interviews, juxtaposed in the video with snippets from White Lotus, he appears to back Russia’s occupation of Crimea, which became a precursor to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The actor has traveled to the peninsula multiple times, including for work, resulting in Ukraine putting him on a no-entry list in 2019. That could’ve put Biković’s name on the Ukraine government’s radar quickly after his casting in The White Lotus was announced Jan. 12.