Yuri Kerpatenko, a loud voice against the Russian occupation of Ukraine as well as the maestro of the Kherson Philharmonic Orchestra, was shot in his home after refusing to perform for occupying Russian forces.
In Kherson, Russian occupiers killed famous conductor Yuriy Kerpatenko
Russian occupiers shot him in his own house after he refused to cooperate with them & to perform in their "holiday concert" planned to show "restoration of peaceful life in Kherson" https://t.co/HCUOJuoQ2C
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 15, 2022
The “Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine” revealed through its Facebook page on Friday that Kerpatenko declined to perform for what the Russians called the “improvement of peaceful life” (in Ukrainian territory occupied by the Russian military) celebration and was summarily murdered in his house.
“On October 14, it became known about the brutal murder of the chief conductor of the Kherson Music and Drama Theater,” the ministry posted. “After Yuri Kerpatenko refused to cooperate with the occupants, Russian soldiers shot him in his own home.”
Kerpatenko used Facebook to decry and criticize the Russian invasion of Ukraine, though is said to have softened his rhetoric since last May.
No one knows exactly when Kerpatenko was murdered, but family and friends hadn’t heard from him since September.
Related: Russian Draftees Open Fire at Training Ground, Killing 11 and Wounding 15
The town of Kherson has been a cornerstone in Putin’s attempt to declare the entire region part of Russia. Russian authorities have gone so far as to press local citizens to obtain Russian passports and use the ruble, Russia’s currency, for financial transactions.
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