The key facts
- Seven organizations of Yaroslavl Oblast demanded the cancellation of Kirkorov's concert on November 27 over a 2020 video with a torn telnyashka
- The regional government replied that Arena 2000 is a private organization and it cannot interfere in its activities
- There is no official decision to cancel the concert; Kirkorov previously called the video an acting job
An appeal to the governor
Philipp Kirkorov's concert, scheduled for November 27 at Yaroslavl's Arena 2000 Lokomotiv, is under threat: representatives of seven public organizations in the region have demanded it be cancelled. An open appeal to Governor Mikhail Yevrayev was published by the head of the local branch of the Union of Russian Paratroopers, Andrey Palachyov, joined by Combat Brotherhood, Frontline Brotherhood, the regional Committee of Families of Warriors of the Fatherland, and the regional branch of the Russian Search Movement. This was reported by Life.ru and Gazeta.Ru citing Podyom.
The reason: a six-year-old video
The cause of the discontent was not a new act by the artist, but a 2020 video in which Kirkorov, wearing a blue beret and a telnyashka striped undershirt, portrayed a paratrooper and, at the end, tore the telnyashka off his body. The authors of the appeal called this episode offensive to servicemen, veterans, and the families of the fallen, emphasizing the special significance of the telnyashka and the blue beret for the Airborne Forces. The signatories also recalled the eight members of the Yaroslavl military-patriotic club Desantnik named after Leonid Palachyov who died. According to Life.ru, back in 2020 the former Airborne Forces commander Vladimir Shamanov demanded an apology from the singer; Kirkorov himself explained at the time that he was performing an acting role and had no intention of mocking the troops.
The authorities' response: the concert remains on for now
The press service of the Yaroslavl regional government told Podyom that it had carefully studied the appeal, but noted: Arena 2000 is an independent private organization, and executive authorities have no right to interfere in its business activities, except in cases of legal violations or threats to public safety. The holding of concerts, according to the authorities, is regulated by federal laws, not by regional decisions. There is no official decision to cancel the performance at this time — meaning the public activists' demand has so far gone without consequences, and the fate of the concert rests with the venue itself.
