MOSCOW, March 6Artists should not be sent to the Donbass “for repentance”; heroes should come there, says Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko.
The topic of sending artistic groups to the Northern Military District zone was raised by Senator from Sevastopol Ekaterina Altabaeva.
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«Residents of Donbass say: don’t do this, it’s insincere, we are not the place where these (disgraced. — Editor’s note) people must repent or, excuse me, wash themselves off,” Matvienko noted.
The Chairman of the Upper House of Parliament suggested once again rethinking the existing approaches. She condemned the practice of bringing cultural figures to the region who have previously committed unworthy acts. According to the speaker of the Federation Council, artists who have previously discredited themselves are sent to new regions, supposedly for correction. Those who realized that they were wrong should publicly explain their position, the parliamentarian believes.
As an example of artists who should come to Donbass, Matvienko cited violinist Peter Lundstrem. She recalled that the musician supported the special operation from its first day.
In January, State Duma Deputy Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy condemned cultural figures who do not express a position on the SVO. He stated that their silence is no better than open betrayal.