The violist and conductor was among the artists who signed a scandalous letter to support the peninsula.
The renowned musician grew up in Lviv, but now he fears he can’t play concerts in Ukraine because he publicly supported the annexation of Crimea by Russia. Bashmet thinks it may cause problems on the Ukrainian border.
“For now, I am afraid of going to Lviv, where I used to live and study, though my ancestors are buried there. I not on a blacklist, but I signed the letter on Crimea joining Russia,” the musician said.
The musician said the Lviv Music Academy stripped him of his title as honourary professor of music in 2014. However, Bashmet says he didn’t even know he had the honourary title. The decision was taken by vote and is explained with the musician’s public position on the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict.
In 2015, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine published a blacklist of Russian artists posing a threat to the country’s national security. It includes cultural figures who support, directly or indirectly, Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine, provide help to pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine, participate in propaganda campaigns to support the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of Donbas. The blacklist includes about 140 Russian cultural figures.
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