On May 14, Russian violinist Vadim Repin will perform at the Philharmonic in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. Thus, the Kremlin continues to promote the narrative of "art beyond politics," which is actually a tool of soft power used to demonstrate the imaginary "normality" of the aggressor state within the European space. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (CCD), as informed by UNN.
Details
It is noted that Repin is not a neutral artist. Since 2022, he has never publicly condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine; instead, he continued to perform with the State Kremlin Orchestra and received the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation. Furthermore, his projects are funded by the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives of the Russian Federation.
The Bulgarian Union of Artists and Musicians is organizing a protest, stating that Russia is killing Ukrainian artists and destroying theaters, so Putin's violinist should not be given a platform to perform
They add that the Mannheim Philharmonic, the Palm Beach Symphony, and the "Maggio Musicale Fiorentino" festival in Florence have already canceled Repin's performances.
"Through cultural events, the Russian Federation attempts to weaken international isolation and use classical art as a screen to hide the true face of the terrorist regime," the CCD concludes.
Recall
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ordered to restrict the access of foreign films to distribution in the Russian Federation, calling some of them "stupid and unnecessary" and claiming they "harm the viewer."