Alexander Romanovsky, an Ukrainian pianist and professor at the Royal College of Music in London was suspended after having been filmed playing for Russian state-controlled media in Mariupol, Classic FM reports. The Royal College of Music says Romanovsky will face a formal disciplinary process when he returns to London.
The pianist was filmed in front of a bombed-out theatre in Mariupol, a city occupied by the Russians. This theater was sheltering hundreds of civilians when it was bombed by Russian forces in March. The bombing killed many civilians. Human rights organization Amnesty International has since labelled the attack a war crime.
Romanovsky appears in the video playing alongside Russian violinist, Petr Lundstrem, an outspoken supporter of the war, and has shared pictures on Facebook wearing a shirt emblazoned with the letter Z – a Russian pro-war symbol.
