In Israel, the appearance of a cosmonaut who was a confidant of Putin was canceled.

The performance of Russian cosmonaut Yurchikhin in Israel canceled after protest from the Ukrainian community

The scheduled appearance of Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin at the planetarium in the city of Netanya, Israel, was canceled under pressure from the Ukrainian community and following intervention from the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel.

The municipality of Netanya planned to organize a performance by Yurchikhin, known as a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Such an event caused a significant wave of indignation among the Ukrainian community. Activists of Israeli Friends of Ukraine initiated a campaign against the event, arguing that the performance would have the nature of political propaganda. Yurchikhin himself was previously known to have visited temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which is a violation of its sovereignty.

The Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, appealed to the Mayor of Netanya, Avi Slaama, with a call to reconsider the feasibility of cooperation with individuals publicly supporting Russia’s aggressive policy. Subsequently, the municipality decided to cancel the performance.

This case is part of a wider trend in Europe of refusing cooperation with Russian cultural and scientific figures who support the Kremlin’s policies. Just in January of last year, similar events were canceled in Italy and Belgium.

Representatives of the Ukrainian embassy thank the Ukrainian community in Israel for their activism and contribution to this decision, and promise to continue monitoring the situation.