Kateryna Abdullina, the opera singer who called Ukrainian schools “bullshit”, dies
20 November 2024 12:51
The controversial former singer of the National Opera of Ukraine Kateryna Abdullina, who called Ukrainian schools “bull” and the children who study there “cattle,” has died. This was reported on social media by Maxim Ravreba, a former news anchor on the Inter TV channel known for his anti-Ukrainian statements, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the network’s contributors, Abdullina has been living in Italy in recent years under the name Russo, which is probably her husband’s surname. It was a user with this name that Ravreba mentioned in his post. Judging by the photos and user comments, this is the scandalous Ukrainian opera singer.
The cause of death has not yet been announced.
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What Kateryna Abdullina is known for
The then singer of the National Opera of Ukraine was at the center of a high-profile scandal in 2013. The reason for this was her post on Facebook, where she called Ukrainian schools “bullshit”, Russian-speaking children “morally healthy”, and Ukrainian-speaking children “cattle”. These words caused a wave of outrage among the public and her theater colleagues.
Abdullina wrote the scandalous comment to a post with a conversation between publicist Yukhym Hoffman and Russian writer Zakhar Prilepin, who became one of the main Z-bloggers and volunteers during the full-scale war.
“I sent my child to a Russian gymnasium and have never regretted it. All subjects in Russian are clear and understandable. I liked the ceremonial line-up the most, I even cried. The high school students spoke Russian very beautifully. They sang and recited poetry. In general, the contingent of parents and children is very different from the bullshit Ukrainian schools. In the first grade, Ukrainian is taught 3 times a week, and the graduates speak it much better than graduates of Ukrainian schools. I’m glad that my daughter is studying among morally healthy children. And not among cattle,”
– abdullina wrote at the time.
When the scandal erupted, the singer claimed that her post was fabricated and she was the victim of a “setup,” but few believed her. The chief director of the National Opera , Anatoliy Solovyanenko, said at the time that the comment was made deliberately, although the singer did not realize the possible consequences. Her colleagues at the theater openly refused to work with her on the same stage, and the media began to discuss the possibility of her dismissal.
Judging by the fact that the radical pro-Russian journalist Maksim Ravreba, who now lives in Belarus, considers her a close friend, it is clear why Abdullina’s excuses were not believed.
Despite public pressure, Abdullina continued to work at the National Opera. She apologized to those who might have been offended by her words, but remained convinced that this situation could not be grounds for her suspension or dismissal. The Ministry of Culture claimed that there were no grounds for her dismissal, but the National Opera House still suspended her from performances.
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