Russian soldiers have shot dead a Ukrainian Conductor Yuriy Kerpatenko in his home after he refused to take part in a concert in occupied Kherson, “intended by the occupiers to demonstrate the so-called ‘improvement of peaceful life’”, the ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page.

Via The Guardian: “The concert on 1 October was intended to feature the Gileya chamber orchestra, of which Kerpatenko was the principal conductor, but he “categorically refused to cooperate with the occupants”, the statement said. Kerpatenko, who was also the principal conductor of Kherson’s Mykola Kulish Music and Drama Theatre, had been posting defiant messages on his Facebook page until May. The Kherson regional prosecutor’s office in Ukraine has launched a formal investigation “on the basis of violations of the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder”. Family members outside Kherson lost contact with the conductor in September, it said.”

There’s Russian “culture” for you, ladies and gentlemen.

We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends and salute his courage and integrity while condemning the fascist brutality of the Russian forces.#PetText https://t.co/PTTD3bMSM1

— Pet Shop Boys (@petshopboys) October 16, 2022