The conductor Yuriy Kerpatenko doesn’t want to work with the Russian occupying forces in Cherson – and that’s apparently costing him his life. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, he was “brutally” murdered because he made no secret of his attitude.
According to Ukrainian sources, a conductor of the Cherson Philharmonic was shot dead in his house by Russian soldiers because he refused to cooperate. Yuriy Kerpatenko was “brutally” murdered because he refused “to cooperate with the occupying forces,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture said.
“According to media reports, the occupiers and their collaborators at the Philharmonic Orchestra were planning a festive concert in Kherson on the occasion of World Music Day on October 1,” the ministry said. With the concert, the Russian representatives wanted to demonstrate “the alleged ‘restoration of a peaceful life’ in Cherson,” it said. However, Kerpatenko “categorically refused” to work with them. The conductor made no secret of his attitude and refused to leave the occupied city.
Kerpatenko has been working at the Kherson Regional Philharmonic since 2000, and in 2004 he became chief conductor of the Music and Drama Theater in Kherson named after Mykola Kulish.
The southern Ukrainian city of Cherson has been occupied by Russian troops since the beginning of the war. Since then, much of the Ukrainian population has fled. In September, the Russian occupiers held a mock referendum in the region. A little later, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of the area.
