150 Russian Artists Endorse Putin’s Actions in Crimea

A group of more than 150 Russian artists and cultural figures came out in support of President Vladimir Putin with respect to the Russian military’s continued presence in Crimea on Wednesday. Signatories include several museum directors and the soon-to-be head of the Munich Philharmonic, among others.

The declaration came just hours after Manifesta 10 curator Kasper Koenig, its director Hedwig Fijen, and director of St. Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky confirmed that the nomadic European biennial would go on as planned. It also follows a smaller group of Russian artists statement of their support for the new Ukrainian government in Kiev.

Citizens of Crimea will vote on Sunday in a referendum regarding whether to join Russia. Ukraine’s interim prime minister, Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, met with President Obama on Wednesday to discuss ongoing developments in the region.