Ukrainian conductor is shot dead by Russian troops in Kherson for refusing to take part in concert 'highlighting the improvement of peaceful life' under occupation
- Yuriy Kerpatenko declined to play in Kremlin-backed concert in Kherson
- The renowned conductor 'categorically refused to cooperate' with the concert
- Kyiv culture ministry said Russian troops raided his home and shot him dead
By JACK NEWMAN and WILL STEWART FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 21:09 AEDT, 17 October 2022 | UPDATED: 21:09 AEDT, 17 October 2022
A Ukrainian conductor has been shot dead in his own home by Russian troops for refusing to take part in a concert in occupied territory, Kyiv has claimed.
Yuriy Kerpatenko snubbed the Kremlin-backed concert 'intended by the occupiers to demonstrate the so-called 'improvement of peaceful life' in Kherson', the Ukrainian culture ministry said.
The October 1 concert was scheduled to include a performance by the Gileya chamber orchestra.
Ukrainian conductor Yuriy Kerpatenko has been shot dead in his own home by Russian troops for refusing to take part in a concert in occupied territory, Kyiv has claimed
Smoke rises from a destroyed building after Russian attacks in Kyiv this morning
Kerpatenko was their principal conductor but he 'categorically refused to cooperate with the occupants', Ukraine said.
The musician was also the principal conductor of Kherson's Mykola Kulish Music and Drama Theatre, The Guardian reported.
He regularly posted defiant anti-war messages on Facebook until May and family members outside Kherson say they lost contact with him in September.
It is believed Russian troops raided his village and executed him in cold blood.
The Kherson regional prosecutor's office has now launched a formal investigation 'on the basis of violations of the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder'.
Fellow musicians and artists around the world have condemned the shocking killing.
Dalia Stasevska, who was due to conduct this summer's Last Night of the Proms in London before it was cancelled, said: 'The history of Russia imposing a 'comply or die' policy against artists is nothing new. It has a history which spans for hundred of years.'
Ukrainian soldiers drive a captured Russian tank after re-fitting it for use in battle, in Kupiansk region
The Finnish-Ukrainian conductor added: 'I have seen too much silence from Russian colleagues. Would this be the time for Russian musicians, especially those living and working abroad, to finally step up and take a stand against the Russian regime's actions in Ukraine?'
Victoria Amelina, a Ukrainian author and war crimes investigator, said: 'We know the Russian regime is hunting activists, journalists, artists, community leaders, and anyone ready to resist the occupation.
'Yet, even knowing the current pattern and history, we cannot and, more importantly, shouldn't get used to hearing about more brutal murders of a bright, talented, brave people whose only fault was being Ukrainian.'
Acclaimed novelist Andrey Kurkov who wrote Death and the Penguin said: 'Now the name of Yuriy Kerpatenko will be added to the list of murdered artists of Ukraine.
'I increasingly think that Russia is not only seeking to occupy Ukrainian territories, but also diligently destroying Ukrainian identity, an important part of which is Ukrainian culture.'
Russian conscription officer is found dead in suspicious circumstances with body found 'on a fence' as doubts are cast over suicide claim amid Kremlin's bungled mobilisation
A military commissar in charge of enlistment for Vladimir Putin's chaotic mobilisation campaign has been found dead in 'suspicious' circumstances prompting a murder investigation.
The body of Lt-Col Roman Malyk, 49, was discovered near the fence of his home in a village in the Primorsky region of Russia.
Some reports said he died from hanging.
Russian police have opened a murder probe but have not ruled out suicide.
On Telegram, rumours are flying that Malyk, described as 'well-adjusted and self-assured' was killed.
A military commissar in charge of enlistment for Vladimir Putin's chaotic mobilisation campaign has been found dead
The body of Lt-Col Roman Malyk, 49, was discovered near the fence of his home in a village in the Primorsky region of Russia (pictured with his wife)
The married father-of-two was a veteran of Russia's war in Chechnya and friends and family strongly denied he killed himself.
He was in charge of enlistment in Partizan district and surrounding areas in Primorsky region.
He was described by friends as a 'strong and courageous man' who was 'not broken under the weight of harsh military events and great losses' in Chechnya.
'He was a man of his word and deed, known and respected in the city for his honesty and integrity,' he said.
His 'suspicious' death comes after a spate of attacks on mobilisation offices across Russia, as well as multiple gas executives who have died in mysterious circumstances.
As many as 70 offices have been hit with Molotov cocktails as anger grows over enlistment.
The married father-of-two was a veteran of Russia's war in Chechnya and friends and family strongly denied he killed himself (pictured with wife and son)
There is rising fury over mobilisation officials forcibly recruiting men with little or no training in apparent violation of the rules.
Armed conscript-snatching teams of enlistment officers backed by police have been operating in Russian cities, grabbing men on underground trains, on the street, and in offices.
Russia has put in place additional security for mobilisation teams and enlistment offices amid a demand by Putin to find another 80,000 men to complete a total of 300,000 recruits for the initial stage of enlistment.
They are to be protected by national guardsmen, said MP Alexander Khinshtein.
The mobilisation has led to hundreds and thousands of men fleeing abroad, voting with their feet against Putin.
Earlier this month in neighbouring Khabarovsk region Yury Laiko, 41, a military enlistment commissioner, was dismissed amid mayhem over the forced mobilisation of local men.
He was blamed for 'errors' in manically conscripting thousands of reservists in vast Khabarovsk region, half of whom were found to be 'unfit for service'.
Governor Mikhail Degtyaryov said 'several thousand of our countrymen received summonses and arrived at the military registration and enlistment offices.
'Half of them we returned home as not fulfilling the selection criteria for enlistment into military service…[so] military commissar Yury Laiko was dismissed'.
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Ukrainian conductor is shot dead by Russian troops in Kherson for refusing to take part in concert
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