Copyright © 2021 Euromaidanpress.com

The work of Euromaidan Press is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation

When referencing our materials, please include an active hyperlink to the Euromaidan Press material and a maximum 500-character extract of the story. To reprint anything longer, written permission must be acquired from [email protected].

Privacy and Cookie Policies.

Valentina Lisitsa: a fallout because systematic lies are not opinions

Picture courtesy of Fancy Brand
Valentina Lisitsa: a fallout because systematic lies are not opinions
Article by: Alexander Kluev
Edited by: Alya Shandra
Valentina Lisitsa, the Ukrainian-born pianist whose concert in the Toronto Symphony was canceled for her tweets promoting racism and hate-speech, appealed to her supporters to speak out in her behalf. The social media frenzy that they raised “bullied” the pianist who was called in to replace her into declining the invitation and into stirring up a media controversy. Here we publish an open letter to Valentina Lisitsa by a supporter of Toronto Symphony’s decision.

Dear Valentina Lisitsa,

You got what you deserved and I’m so glad you did. I’ll write my support to TSO as soon as I finish this post. As you might see I’m not trolling or threatening you. I’m also from Eastern Ukraine, ¾ ethnically Russian, and don’t speak Ukrainian in my dreams. You can google my name and get my address and phone number if you want to hear what I’m going to say in person or over the phone.

I’m just saying that living in democratic society like Canada you choose to spread lies to support terrorism and banditism and now you are facing consequences for doing that. Hopefully, TSO won’t stop here and completely severs all ties with you. In my opinion, it would be a normal reaction of society to defend itself from elements like you, because it our society systematic lies are dangerous. Perhaps, you may consider moving to another society where spreading lies is rewarded. Have you considered moving to Russian Federation? I think you will fit right in.

Why am I saying that you are spreading lies? Because, unlike a few poor misinformed Westerners who support you here, and who don’t have any clue what is going on there, you know that you are lying.

You know that [Ukrainian Prime Minister] Yatsenyuk called Russia-backed militants who are killing Ukrainians “subhumans” and not eastern Ukrainians. On June 15th commemorating fallen soldiers he said : “They lost their lives because they defended men and women, children and the elderly who found themselves in a situation facing a threat to be killed by invaders and sponsored by them inhumans. First, we will commemorate the heroes by wiping out those who killed them and then by cleaning our land from the evil.” He was talking about all these Strelkovs, Givis, Motorolas, Khodakovskys and other lowlifes who kill and torture (including castration) Ukrainian POWs, who live in the apartments of Ukrainians who fled occupied territories, take away people’s property for “the needs of the republic,” and so on and so forth. It is and was crystal clear from the context; I know it, you knew and know it, but you choose to lie. [more on that here – ed.]

You know and knew that there is no and has never been any discrimination against Russians or any other nationality in Ukraine, as well as against Russian language or culture. You know that the Secretary of National Defense of Ukraine’s Council Mr. Turchinov is ethnically Russian, and so is the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Klimkin, you know about the Jewish [oligarch and ex-governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast] Mr.Kolomoyski, and Tatar Dzemilev, you know that commander of feared “Neo-Nazi” Azov Battalion Biletsky’s first language is Russian, not to mention countless number of Russians, Jews, Tatars, and people of all other nationalities defending Ukraine on the frontlines or helping it from all over the world. You very well knew it, but you choose to lie portraying the situation as a Ukrainian Nazi attack on poor Russians.

You definitely knew how it all started – how without any reason Crimea was occupied by the Russian Army (and you knew, we all knew that it was the regular Russian Army) and the first Ukrainian servicemen were killed, how Russian special forces colonel Strelkov committed a terrorist attack on Sloviansk and captured local security service buildings, how they brutally murdered  the representative of Horlivka’s city council Rybak only for protecting the Ukrainian flag, how the pro-Ukrainian demonstrators in Donetsk were  brutally beaten. You definitely remember how Ukraine begged for peace – how Yatsenyuk went to Donetsk, how they signed the Geneva agreement… Ukraine was doing everything possible to save peace and start a dialog, but you and people like you were only laughing at that time and taking it as a sign of weakness… Again, you knew but you have chosen to lie about it.

SO PEOPLE, Bottom Line: Valentina was punished not for her opinion. She was punished for choosing to spread lies, and she knew every single second that the was doing just that: spreading lies. Thus, her punishment is just and fair. It has nothing to do with her being a musician. If she killed somebody, she would go to jail and it would not matter how good she is or was as a musician. Likewise is here – she decided to be a part of a propaganda war and it backfired. Please write to TSO to support their decision.

For more information about the Valentina Lisitsa scandal, please visit Valentina Lisitsa Performance 
Edited by: Alya Shandra
You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here

You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Please leave your suggestions or corrections here