The statement below was released by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America on November 14.
On Monday, November 13, a Ukrainian American activist was arrested outside the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. A member of the National Cathedral community, Alexa Chopivsky had been vocal in her disappointment over the cathedral hosting “A Concert for Unity” organized by the Russian Embassy. The concert featured conductor Valery Gergiev and pianist Denis Matsuev, both well-known supporters of Vladimir Putin and his imperial ambitions in Ukraine. Not only did both artists sign a well-publicized letter in support of Putin’s actions in Ukraine after the occupation of Crimea, Gergiev has touted his friendship with Putin by performing in Russian-occupied territory in Georgia and in the Russian-occupied city of Palmyra in Syria while Putin’s forces were actively shelling civilians in Aleppo in 2016.