Kremlin stars concerts in Cyprus – two years of the great war
After the start of the war of russia against Ukraine, there has developed a worldwide trend of cancelling russian culture – prohibition, rejection, and ignoring of russian culture. Unfortunately, this trend weakens the further a country is from the borders with russia and the russian threat. The residents of such countries become more tolerant towards russian culture and “good russians.” For European audiences, this sometimes poses a dilemma: should they attend a concert if a russian liberal is performing on stage? And it’s good if it’s a liberal and not a band or performer openly supporting and endorsing the actions of the russian government. Each of us must undergo this ideological and moral struggle on our own.
Cultural warfare is a significant component of any conflict. russians invest heavily in promoting their culture and planting the misconception in the minds of Europeans: how could they be bad if they have “such culture, performers, ballet, artists, and musicians”!… If we simply observe this without any counteraction, the “russian world” will engulf Europe, and we, Ukrainians, know very well that after pushkins, dostoevskys, and ballets come russian tanks next for the “protection of russian-speaking population.”
While EU countries support Ukraine diplomatically, event organisers have been profiting for a decade from pro-kremlin performers.
For example, in Limassol, on April 26, at the Opus Events Venue, a performance by the russian rock band AnimalJazz is scheduled.
After the war began, the musicians of the band, especially Krasovitsky, the vocalist, stopped giving interviews and remained silent on this topic on social media.
On November 11, 2023, videos were published in which the musicians of the band Animal Jazz, Alexander Krasovitsky and Alexander Zarankin, talked about their patriotism.
“On our concerts and in our songs, there is not a single word against the special Special Operations Forces, not a single word in support of Ukraine. We respect the leadership of our country and are unquestionably patriots of russia,” said Animal Jazz and Zero People vocalist Alexander Krasovitsky.
“No one planned to perform with anti-russian or pro-Ukrainian slogans at the concert. I am a patriot of my country and respectfully regard to the leadership of the russian federation,” said keyboardist Alexander Zarankin.
On April 29-30, the Pattihio Theater hosts a performance by Kirill Serebrennikov as part of the first Cyprus International Theater Festival (CITF). It’s time to cast doubt on Serebrennikov’s status as a “dissident.” In his speech at Cannes, he stated:
“russian culture has always been anti-militaristic and anti-war,” and expressed condolences to russian soldiers and talked about how he plans to help their families.
Thus, the Cannes festival became a platform for an artist who finds it acceptable to call on the international community to support russian soldiers committing war crimes in Ukraine. Serebrennikov himself is living proof that russian culture is often pro-military and can be effectively used to whitewash russia’s aggression.
Immediately after this concert, on April 30, a performance by the equally famous kremlin supporter Diana Arbenina is announced at MONTE CAPUTO in Limassol.
The singer “expresses support for the wives and mothers” of russians fighting in Ukraine, stating that the occupiers in Ukraine are “doing their job.” Arbenina wrote on social media that russian women “showed her photos of their deceased sons,” which “broke her heart,” and that the singer sympathizes with their grief.
It raises the question of whether organisers and clubs hosting concerts support the unjust war that russia has started against Ukraine. Is it possible to blindly invite such performers and thus show disrespect for the European public and openly demonstrate support for the putin regime in Cyprus?
Hopefully, they will all come to the conclusion that holding the concert is impossible and close the doors to pro-russian performers. Popularising russian culture now, while the war continues in Ukraine, is unacceptable. Any russian performers are still representatives of the “russian world.”