Paratroopers demand cancellation of Kirkorov's concert in Yaroslavl over video of torn telnyashka

Demand to cancel the concert

The Yaroslavl branch of the 'Union of Russian Paratroopers' is demanding the cancellation of Philipp Kirkorov's performance. The reason was a 2020 video in which the People's Artist of Russia tears off his striped telnyashka undershirt during a show. The union regarded this gesture as offensive, and the singer's appearance on stage during the special operation as inappropriate. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru citing Life and the SHOT Telegram channel.

The activists' complaints and plans

The head of the Yaroslavl branch of the union, Andrei Palachev,according to the publication, also stated that, in his opinion, the artist's work promotes LGBT propaganda ('the International LGBT Public Movement' has been designated extremist and terrorist and banned in the Russian Federation). The activists intend to send an appeal to the management of the concert venue, and if their demands are not met, to organize a picket, which, according to them, border guards and marines plan to join.

Context: criticism after Tyumen

The paratroopers' demand came against the backdrop of recent criticism of the singer: the day before, attendees of the concert in Tyumen wrote on social media that the artist looked 'strange and sluggish'; some wanted to leave before the performance ended and demanded refunds for their tickets. Kirkorov himself explained that he had been forced to take the stage with a high fever. Earlier, according to the publication, he was given advice after the Tyumen scandal. The publication does not report any reaction from the venue's management or the singer himself to the paratroopers' demand.