As reported on the Lithuania Ministry of Culture website, the Russian Drama Theater of Lithuania has canceled its St. Petersburg tour.

      The Russian Drama Theater of Lithuania headed by the stage director Jonas Vaitkus has withdrawn from taking part in Saint Petersburg festival and explained the reasons in an open letter to the festival authorities.

      The theater was compelled to make such a decision as a response to the fact that the surname of the festival director Sergey Grigoryevich Shuba is enlisted among those cultural figures that are supporting the Russian state policy in Ukraine.

      According to the stage director Jonas Vaitkus, the theater staff disapproves of the Russian officials’ attempts to manipulate people of culture and art.

      “The great Russian culture, which Russian drama theaters, including the Russian Drama Theater of Lithuania are destined to represent abroad, will not become less esteemed and appreciated in our countries in the light of current political events. But may this test serve as a lesson to those in Russia and not only there that attempts and habits to politically manipulate people of culture and art are unacceptable and incompatible with such categories as cultural policy and culture of politics” – the open letter reads.

      The Russian Drama Theater of Lithuania was invited to participate in the international festival of Russian-speaking theaters abroad Meetings in Russia under the auspices of the Baltic House Theater. The Russian Drama Theater was expected to perform the stage play Eugene Onegin starring the Ukrainian actor Gregory Hlady, who lives in Canada.