Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on December 1 appointed Kremlin-friendly conductor Valery Gergiev to the post of director of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, one day after Vladimir Urin left the post without explanation. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 22 last year, Urin was one of the Russian arts and cultural figures to sign an open letter calling on "all on whom it depends to stop all armed activities." Urin had led the Bolshoi since 2013. Gergiev was fired from his position as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic last year after he refused to condemn the war. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Gergiev Appointed Bolshoi Director After Predecessor, Who Protested Ukraine War, Resigns
Vladimir Urin in 2020