“The performance of the song “Katyusha” by the Chinese “opera singer” Wang-Fang at the ruins of the drama theater in Mariupol, in which the Russian army killed more than 600 innocent people, is an example of complete moral degradation,” spokesman of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleh Nikolenko said.

The video of the performance in the place of mass murder was published on the internet.

Also, on 7 September 2023, after visiting Mariupol, the delegation of Chinese media and cultural figures, including Wang-Fang, visited occupied Crimea. 

“Their arrival is illegal. It grossly violates the legislation of Ukraine, which regulates the crossing of the state border by foreigners. Ukraine respects the territorial integrity of China and expects from the Chinese side an explanation of the purpose of the stay of Chinese citizens in Mariupol, as well as the way they got to the temporarily occupied Ukrainian city,” Nikolenko also said.

Meanwhile, the Russian governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksionov, met with a Chinese delegation. He called China a “brotherly state” for Russia, saying they discussed cooperation in the sphere of tourism, media, and education.

 In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said it initiates a ban on entry to Ukraine for all these Chinese “tourers,” likely meaning representatives of media and culture spheres.