"Give back the territories - the war will end!" Opera singer Liudmyla Monastyrska tells about the backstage of her concerts abroad

Ukrainian opera singer Lyudmyla Monastyrska often goes on tours abroad, where her foreign colleagues express their views on Russia's war against Ukraine, which are not always appropriate. According to the star, tactless questions are asked to her because people are far away from potential danger and do not know what it is like to live under constant stress.

In particular, a significant factor in this is the issue of mentalities, which is why Europeans treat the war with "calm indifference." The opera singer spoke about her conversations backstage at her concerts in an interview with Informator Ukraine.

"I tour a lot and know the mentality of other countries. That's probably why I'm often asked how they feel about Russian culture. To which I answer: "Well, they haven't had a piece of debris fly into their own backyard. They don't live in this airborne anxiety and stress 24/7. That's probably why they treat it with calm indifference. I have had many moments when, at private events, I was told directly: "Give up these territories as soon as possible, so that the war will end sooner." When the Italians say this to me, I offer them: "Then why don't you give up Sicily or Sardinia?" said Lyudmyla Monastyrska.

The opera singer is categorically against any references to Russian cultural figures on the world stage, let alone Ukrainian companies performing the repertoire of the aggressor country.

"The National Opera of Ukraine is the main theater of our country, so during the war there can be no Russian repertoire. Although these famous Russian composers are geniuses in themselves, because they wrote works that have been performed all over the world for centuries. What Tchaikovsky wrote are gems. But the rejection of this music is not only a political, but also a moral and ethical decision. This is a completely logical reaction if genocide is taking place and our worst enemy, our closest neighbor, wants to become us. Because these Muscovites have nothing to do with Kyivan Rus at all. They even took away the name..." the artist explained.

In Ukraine, the broadcasting of Russian culture is considered a shameful decision, but Liudmyla Monastyrska does not rule out that this trend will continue after the war ends: "So many of the best representatives of the Ukrainian gene pool have already died, and this is a serious reason."

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