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Russian maestro Gergiev dropped from Munich Philharmonic Orchestra over mayor’s ultimatum

Valery Gergiev has served as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra since 2015

BERLIN, March 1. /TASS/. The internationally renowned Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has been dropped as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. This decision was made Tuesday by Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter.

"Munich is parting ways with Valery Gergiev. From now on there will be no more Munich Philharmonic Orchestra’s concerts under his leadership," the mayor said in a statement. Reiter said he had previously demanded that the conductor "clearly and unequivocally distance himself" from Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, but Gergiev, according to the mayor’s words, never did so.

"I had hoped that he would reconsider his very positive assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has not done so. Given the current situation, however, a clear signal to the orchestra, the public, and the city would have been necessary for further cooperation," the city mayor said, "As it did not happen, all that remains is an immediate parting of the ways. All other matters will be cleared up as soon as possible," Reiter noted.

Gergiev has served as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra since 2015. His contract was until 2025.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported later that Russian troops were not delivering strikes against Ukrainian cities. It emphasized that Ukrainian military infrastructure was being destroyed by precision weapons.

After that, the US, the EU, the UK, and some other countries said they were imposing sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities.

Germany has unleashed a crusade of severing ties with Russian institutions and firms amid the events in Ukraine. Yesterday, one restaurant in Germany undertook discriminatory measures and decided to stop serving customers with Russian passports. Social media users report cases of aggression against Russians.

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