Ukrainian ballerina describes how Russia weaponises Tchaikovsky as propaganda

She spoke about this on Espreso TV.

"Tchaikovsky was a brilliant composer and there are no criticisms of his personality. But Russia has used him and continues to use him for its propaganda. That is, we cannot listen to Russian authors, dance Swan Lake, or the Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky because his country is full of terrorists and murderers"," Zvarych explains.

According to the Lviv Opera Ballet soloist, Austrian publications have done research on how Russian officials paid for Tchaikovsky's performances, even after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

"This is done so that the whole world can be fascinated by their culture, and when you watch the ballet Swan Lake and see swans, you think: well, can this swan be from a terrorist country? So it changes your opinion about the country as a whole. This is what they have been doing all their lives, not just showing this ballet, but investing in it to make it their propaganda," Zvarych emphasized.

• The expert commission of the Institute of National Memory concluded that the name of composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky in the name of the National Music Academy in Kyiv is part of the propaganda of Russian imperial policy.