Putin Supporter Valery Gergiev Named Chair of Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize

By Francisco Salazar
(Credit: Valeri Guérguiev)

Russian conductor and Putin loyalist Valery Gergiev has been appointed to chair the jury for Russia’s newly established Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize.

The new prize awards an organization for “outstanding achievements in activities aimed at countering the threat of unleashing a third world war and at preventing a nuclear catastrophe.”

The inaugural award was presented on Sept. 9, 2024, at the Bolshoi Theater and was given to the African Union.

The jury members of the prize included the author and former Indian government official Archana Mouli, as well as French public figure Pierre de Gaulle, grandson of Charles de Gaulle.

During the ceremony, Gergiev conducted the soloists, chorus, and orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater in Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and the Cantata Moscow.

In a statement, Gergiev said, “Thanks to the efforts of this authoritative international association, aimed at promoting unity and solidarity among African states, defending their national sovereignty, maintaining peace and security on the continent, the mechanisms have been put in place to respond collectively to local crisis situations.”ect for each other’s legitimate interests, the rule of international law,” said Vladimir Putin in a message.

Gergiev is currently the director of both the Mariinsky Theatre and the Bolshoi Theatre and has been a loyal supporter of President Putin for years. After the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Gergiev was fired from many of his positions outside of Russia, and his Western career was halted. He has since conducted in China and Russia. He was also named elected co-chairman of the Union of Theater Performers of Russia and was given the Kremlin’s  Order of Merit to the Fatherland in Russia.

 

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