The Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Spain has expressed deep concern over the planned performances in Spain by Russian musicians Vadim Repin and Nikolai Lugansky. This is stated in a statement on the Embassy’s website.
As reported earlier, their concert is scheduled for 18 October at the Miguel Delibes Cultural Centre in Valladolid, 20 October at the National Auditorium of Music in Madrid, and 22 October at the Bilbao Philharmonic Society. The international initiative Arts Against Aggression published an open letter calling for the performances to be cancelled.
“The Embassy’s concern is not related to the artists’ citizenship, but to their specific and documented actions, public positions, and ties to cultural initiatives supported by the Russian state during its aggressive war against Ukraine,” the Embassy’s statement says.
After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Vadim Repin was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the Russian Federation. In February 2024, he performed with the State Kremlin Orchestra at a concert for the so-called Defender of the Fatherland Day, presented as a tribute to Russia’s “defenders”. His artistic projects have also received funding from Russia’s Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives.
Nikolai Lugansky has publicly expressed views that justify the Russian Federation’s illegal annexation of Crimea and has performed in temporarily occupied Donetsk.
Throughout 2026, a number of cultural institutions in Europe and the United States have already reviewed their cooperation with Vadim Repin, resulting in the cancellation of his planned performances.
According to the statement, the Embassy of Ukraine has approached the relevant Spanish institutions and the concert organisers directly, asking them to reconsider the participation of the artists in question.
“We respect artistic freedom and the autonomy of cultural institutions. At the same time, we are convinced that culture does not exist outside responsibility, especially when Russia continues its aggressive war against Ukraine and uses culture as one of the instruments of its international presence,” the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Spain concludes.