March 15, 1978
World famous cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and his wife, an opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya, were stripped of their Soviet citizenship. According to the authorities, they "engaged in anti-patriotic activities," and the proceeds from their concerts "went to support White émigré organizations."
Rostropovich and Vishnevskaya denigrated the Soviet social system and the status of Soviet citizen. They systematically provided material assistance to subversive anti-Soviet centers. (Izvestia newspaper, March 16, 1978)
The couple went against the system in 1969 when they took in a disgraced writer at their dacha. Alexandra SolzhenitsynaBy then, 42-year-old Rostropovich was a renowned musician and conductor, and 43-year-old Vishnevskaya was considered the Bolshoi Theatre's trump card. Both toured abroad, playing to sold-out houses and winning prestigious awards.
In October 1970, they wrote an open letter in defense of Solzhenitsyn. In response, the authorities banned their names from being mentioned in the press, canceled their concerts, and restricted their travel outside the country.
In March 1974, an American senator stood up for Rostropovich and Vishnevskaya. Edward Kennedy — the younger brother of the 35th President of the United States. During a personal meeting with Brezhnev, he asked for their release from the Soviet Union. The General Secretary agreed and authorized a "long-term assignment."
When Rostropovich and Vishnevskaya were stripped of their citizenship, they had already been living abroad for four years. They learned of the Soviet authorities' decision from the television news.
While formally remaining citizens of the Soviet Union, Rostropovich and Vishnevskaya, in essence, became ideological degenerates, conducting activities directed against the Soviet people. (Izvestia newspaper, March 16, 1978)
In response, the couple stated that “in the USSR, it is not the laws that govern, but the people who govern these laws.”
Rostropovich later became one of the leading conductors in the West, and Vishnevskaya performed in the world's largest theaters.
Gorbachev He returned their citizenship to them in January 1990, but the couple renounced it, stating that they had neither asked for it to be taken away nor returned.
