The Bolshoi and Marinsky bass singer Ildar Abdrazakov banned in the West for his support of Putin's wars, has been appointed artistic director of the Sebastopol State Opera and Ballet Theatre, currently under construction.

Sebastopol, a Ukrainian port city, was illegally occupied by Russia in February 2014 and was annexed the following month.

Abdrazakov's appointment was promulgated yesterday on the Telegram channel by the Russian Culture Minister Olsha Lyubimova.