The leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation faction in the Bashkortostan parliament was condemned for criticizing Rudolf Nureyev

A scandal has erupted in Bashkiria around the name of ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev. The leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation faction in parliament, Yunir Kutluguzhin, proposed considering a statement in defense of the traditional values ​​of the people of Bashkiria. It says that promoting the image of the dancer, a “traitor to the motherland” and “a prominent representative of the LGBT community,” is open propaganda of homosexuality. In response, speaker Konstantin Tolkachev called on the communist to take up the defense of moral values ​​in the Northern Military District zone. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation assures that the statement was the personal initiative of Comrade Kutluguzhin and the party does not agree with him.

The Chairman of the Kurultai (parliament) of Bashkiria, Konstantin Tolkachev, at a plenary session on October 26, criticized the Communists’ proposal to condemn the world ballet star of the second half of the 20th century, Rudolf Nureyev, for his escape from the USSR and non-traditional sexual orientation. The head of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation faction, Yunir Kutluguzhin, sent a letter to the speaker with a request to include a consideration of the relevant application on the agenda.

Statement “Let’s protect the traditional values ​​of the multinational people of Bashkortostan” was published on the website of the Republican Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. It states, in particular, that Russia’s opponents abroad are promoting the cult of “selfishness, permissiveness, immorality, and denial of the ideals of patriotism.” The communists also consider “extremely unsightly” the “cult of the traitor to the Motherland, convicted of treason by the Supreme Court of the USSR,” Rudolf Nureyev, after whom a street, a museum and a choreographic college in Ufa are named, as well as an international festival and a ballet troupe at the Bashkir Opera and Ballet Theater.

The statement calls the artist “a super-egoist corrupted by Western culture,” and officials’ promotion of the image of “a prominent representative of the LGBT community” is “open propaganda of homosexuality.”

Mr. Tolkachev said that “one cannot throw mud at Rudolf Nureyev, which was not done even under the CPSU.” “The struggle for moral values ​​is being waged today in the special operation zone. Please, colleagues, military registration and enlistment offices are open. The recruitment of volunteers is constant. So far, not a single communist deputy has gone to the front line,” the speaker emphasized. He also expressed the hope that Yunir Kutluguzhin’s letter does not reflect the general position of the Communist Party faction, and recommended that his behavior be reviewed at the faction meeting and at the ethics commission.

Vice Speaker Vadim Starov (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) said that the faction did not plan to submit this issue to parliament, and the letter was sent for discussion at one of the future round tables, since some citizens had made such a proposal. “The Communist Party faction agrees that Rudolf Nureyev made a huge contribution to the development of culture and art not only in the republic and Russia, on a global scale. Such things definitely cannot be the subject of discussion and consideration at a meeting of the state assembly,” the deputy assured.

“The whole Internet is crawling. They call me from Kazan, from other cities. To be honest, I also don’t understand how the statement ended up online,” Konstantin Tolkachev was surprised. Yunir Kutluguzhin, who was present in the hall, did not express his point of view, and he did not answer Kommersant’s phone calls.

The Minister of Culture of Bashkiria, Amina Shafikova, also responded to the scandal. In her Telegram channel, she noted that she did not expect to “get a stab in the back from some deputies” on the eve of the V International Festival of Choreographic Schools and Academies “Maly Nureyevsky”. “We are proud that it was the Bashkir land that gave such a person to the world. And Nureyev himself was always proud of his roots,” the minister wrote.

The chief choreographer of the Bashkir Opera and Ballet Theater, Leonora Kuvatova, told Kommersant that Rudolf Nureyev is remembered as a great dancer, and “his orientation has absolutely nothing to do with it.” “Nureyev is the son of his fatherland, he glorified the Russian classical school of ballet abroad, but at that time they knew little about it,” she emphasized.

Later, a video message appeared on the “Bashkir Battalion” Telegram channel, presumably from a volunteer from the “Bashkortostan” motorized rifle regiment, who invited Yunir Kutluguzhin and his son to come to the North Military District zone. “In Bashkortostan there is one of the best schools of Rudolf Nureyev. I used to dance myself, I grew up watching him dance. Now I serve with the artists of the Sibay Philharmonic,” the man said.

Kurultai deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Ilgam Galin told Kommersant that in the coming days the bureau of the republican committee will consider the current situation.

And the press secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Alexander Yushchenko, noted that the scandalous statement was not made on behalf of the faction, but was made personally by Yunir Kutluguzhin.

“I talked to him, he said that he had sent a letter to Konstantin Tolkachev with a proposal to hold a round table on this issue. The topic of patriotic education is quite sensitive and really needs to be discussed, but the given texture in the statement is absolutely inappropriate and unacceptable. Kutluguzhin must take it back and redo it,” Mr. Yushchenko emphasized, adding that the incident will be discussed at a faction meeting.

Vlada Shipilova, Ufa