A video has emerged online of a Chinese woman, who claimed to be an opera singer, Wang Fang, singing “Katyusha,” amidst the ruins of Mariupol's Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theatre.
The theatre was destroyed by Russian bombing in March last year. Wang was with a number of Chinese bloggers who had entered the city, which is currently occupied by the Russian Federation.
Ukraine is demanding an explanation from Beijing.
On Sept 7, Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the exiled mayor of Mariupol, shared a video of the woman singing on his Telegram channel.
“Haven't there been any dances on the graves of Mariupol's residents for a long time? Here you are,” he said.
“The Russians brought a so-called ‘famous’ Chinese opera singer, Wang Fang, to Mariupol - so famous that not even Google recognizes her - and she performed the song ‘Katyusha’ amidst the ruins of the Drama Theater.”
“I hope the spirits of the more than 600 Mariupol residents killed by the Russians liked it so much that they will haunt her with horrors for the rest of her life.”
Andryushchenko called for a response from the Ukrainian Border Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the illegal entry of a Chinese citizen.
He didn’t have to wait long for a reaction. Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for the Ministry of Legal Affairs, stated on his Facebook page: “The performance of the song ‘Katyusha’ by the Chinese ‘opera singer’ Wang Fang at the ruins of the drama theater in Mariupol, where the Russian army killed more than 600 innocent people, is an example of complete moral degradation.”
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According to him, she was with a group of Chinese bloggers who had also arrived in Mariupol. Their entry is illegal and violates Ukrainian legislation governing the crossing of the state border by foreigners, the ministry's spokesman added.
Nikolenko said that Ukraine is awaiting an explanation from China, saying: “Ukraine respects China's territorial integrity and expects an explanation from the Chinese side regarding the purpose of the presence of Chinese citizens in Mariupol and the means by which they reached the temporarily occupied Ukrainian city.”
Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine will initiate a ban on entry into Ukraine for the Chinese “tourists” who illegally visited Mariupol.
Kyiv Post attempted to find information about this Chinese opera singer. China has a renowned opera diva named Wang Fang who has even published an autobiography, but is much older than the so-called “star,” who seems to have the same name and performed in Mariupol.
Kyiv Post attempted to contact the Chinese embassy in Ukraine for comment, but there were no answers on any of the numbers listed on the Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
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Comments (5)
Bueno, ¡poco te queda ya Ucrania! Os han mentido, os han aniquilado. Deberíais luchar contra los Estados Unidos, contra la inmoral Union europea y rendiros. Solo conseguireis mas pobres ucranianos muertos y ningún resultado positivo.
En Occidente aparte de los politicos el resto de lis ciudadanos estamos con Rusia.
Lo que hicisteis durante 8 años en el Dombas fue una matanza vergonzosa de inocentes. No os quejéis ahora. El mundo sabe la verdad. El mundo esta con Rusia.
More double standards and another example of how communism always gets a pass...including from the Kyiv Post.
Katyusha, is rooted in communism. red Army troops adopted a nickname from Mikhail Isakovsky's popular wartime song, "Katyusha", about a girl longing for her absent beloved, who has gone away on military service.
Erika, would be the equivalent and of course, no one would hesitate pointing out how that song is rooted in national socialism...and rightfully so.
This chinese person needs to go back to her great communist utopia of china and sing all the communist songs she wants to her hearts content.
In Ukraine, we are DONE with communism and national socialism. Do NOT come to our nation thinking you are going to revive any of the aforementioned garbage ideologies here.
As a Chinese, there are somethings I must tell Ukranian friends. There are indeed many, a huge chunk of China's population, who support Russian invasion and their fascist actions.
BUT what I want to say is that there are still many of us who stand with Ukrainian people. We try at every opportunity to tell people around us the truth of this war, to tell people that Putin is just another Hitler, to tell people that Ukrainian people are fighting for their freedom against an evil just like Chinese people fought against Imperial Japanese Army many years ago.
And many of us, including me, have donated to the brave Ukranian Army and its soilders who are giving everything they have to defend their freedom and way of life.
I myself shed tears on the day when Russian beasts bombarded Mariupol theater, trembling with fury as I told my wife that handreds of children were killed. No matter what the Chinese authority says or does, no matter where the Chinese authority stands, I and many other honest Chinese people, as members of humanity, choose to stand with truth and righteousness, to stand with Ukrainian friends.
Wish we could celebrate Ukranian victory in near future.
@AnHonestChinese,
Well said and very good to hear !!
Hope you , your family and like minded citizens together with the people of Ukraine ,get the better , safer and prosperous future you all deserve
@AnHonestChinese,
@AnHonestChinese, thanks. I and a lot of my Chinese friends stand with brave Ukraine people. We will celebrate victory of Ukraine in near future for sure.
catch her and put her in prison
Completely illegal. Just imagine if western foreigners had perpetrated such an illegal and disrespectful act in China without permission from their ccp government. China's ( and India ) actions and motives thusly regarding Putler's war cannot be trusted under any circumstances.