March 29, 2023

Concert Confusion


Concert Confusion
Valery Meladze. Okras, Wikimedia Commons.

Valery Meladze's April concerts in Novosibirsk, Barnaul, and Kemerovo have been canceled, according to concert organizers who spoke to RIA Novosti.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, concert organizers in Russia received lists of "banned artists." Valery Meladze, a Belarusian singer who opposed the war from the beginning, was included in the list. He was also included in the of banned artists in Belarus, according to the Agency and Fontanka.

During a New Year's speech in Dubai, Meladze recited a slogan used by Ukrainian nationalists. As a result, a proposal was put forward in the Russian State Duma to strip him of his titles and his Russian citizenship. Meladze responded, "The people I love dearly are in a conflict in which people are dying... I can't and don't want to hate anyone, and I don't try to please anyone."

The Siberian concert venues reported they were unaware of Meladze's performances. The Kemerovo arena specifically mentioned they had no concerts scheduled "for any upcoming dates." According to RIA Novosti, officials at the Titov Arena in Barnaul confirmed that Valery Meladze would not perform. They said, "What even is Meladze's concert? He is a banned artist, no concert is planned. You probably saw some old posters."

It remains unclear whether Valery Meladze had planned to perform in the Siberian cities mentioned, since his website currently only lists performances outside of Russia. Performances have also been recently canceled in Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, and Rostov-on-Don

You Might Also Like

Notes at the Front

Notes at the Front

Musicians have not been spared from the criminalization of protest and expression. We also share Ilya Yashin's final words.
Russia's Year of Horror
  • February 24, 2023

Russia's Year of Horror

After a year of horrific war, why does a magazine like Russian Life continue? Why not simply wash our hands of it and walk away?
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955