Pskov authorities canceled singer Yolka’s performance because of her Ukrainian background

The Mayor of Pskov, Boris Yolkin, has decided that Yolka’s participation in the City Day celebrations would be inappropriate “given the current circumstances.” Earlier, local singer Yan Osin called to boycott Yolka's concert, because she had once lived in Ukraine, and her fees reached 3.5 million rubles ($38,150). This was reported on July 19 by the "Pskov news feed" Telegram channel.

The Mayor of Pskov, Boris Yolkin, has announced that the city's celebration format has been altered, and singer Yolka will not be performing. This decision was made due to the "inappropriateness" of her involvement in the festive program under “the current circumstances.”

Prior to this, Pskov-based singer and composer, Yan Osin, demanded the cancellation of her performance. He emphasized the fact that she was born in Ukraine. Osin was also indignant over the singer’s fee. The city administration had to pay her by contract 3.5 million rubles. Osin said that he would take only 500 thousand rubles ($5,450) and transfer the rest of the fee to the local College of Arts to purchase musical instruments. Mayor Yolkin said that the decision to cancel Yolka's performance was made before Osin's appeal.

According to the contract between Yolka and the Pskov authorities, signed in March 2023, the singer and her musicians agreed to avoid discussing any political topics and refrain from discrediting the Russian army for a duration of four months leading up to the concert. In response, Osin urged the singer to make a statement about the war in Ukraine before the performance and called for a boycott of the concert if the authorities did not terminate their contract with the artist.

Officials in various Russian cities have been canceling performances because of artists’ positions regarding the war in Ukraine. Mayor Alexei Logvinenko of Rostov-on-Don banned concerts by groups and artists such as Ani Lorak, Valery Meladze, DDT, Mashina Vremeni, and others who are “disapproved” by local residents. Krasnodar Mayor Yevgeniy Naumov canceled Ani Lorak's show, fearing that her fee would be directed to the Ukrainian army.

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