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Deep Purple has stayed away from making political statements for over 50 years, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted the band to make an exception.
The legendary hard rock band was forced to cancel its scheduled May 31 concert in Kyiv, Ukraine, due to uncertainty regarding the war. But the band also canceled its June 4 Moscow concert in protest of Vladmir Putin's invasion.
Going a step further over the weekend, all five band members issued statements denouncing Russia's military operation in Ukraine and calling for new leadership in the Kremlin.
"We are an apolitical band and in no way, was our intention ever political," writes bassist Roger Glover. "It was music. These days are different. We condemn Putin's military for the atrocities to innocent men, women and children in Ukraine, and we apologize to our Russian and Ukrainian fans that the shows have been cancelled. We live in hope that we can fulfill those dates in the future."
Keyboardist Don Airey added in his own statement that Russian missiles "have just destroyed the Opera House in Freedom Square Kharkiv, where DP played almost exactly 20 years ago..."
Airey added that he wrote a letter to Russian Security Council head Dmitri Medvedev, asking him to return an autograph.
While the band has placed the blame for the invasion squarely on Putin (the war sparked protests throughout Russia), frontman Ian Gillan added that Deep Purple has accepted the possibility that their stance on the war could mean never seeing their "Russian friends again."
It's a "big sacrifice," he added of never playing Russia again, "but nothing compared with never again seeing our Ukrainian friends who are being killed to satisfy the psychopathic ambitions of the Russian leader."
Gillan urged Russian citizens to continue protesting "to show their disgust at the Ukrainian invasion, and I'd like to dream that very quickly, Russia can find some modern leadership that will bring them back into the world as friends. We have so much in common."
Drummer Ian Paice characterized the invasion as "criminal," hoping that it would bring about Putin's "ultimate downfall" in favor of a Russian leader who is "functioning mentally in the 21st century."
Hundreds of casualties, mostly on the Ukrainian side, have been reported in connection to the conflict, although the United Nations believes the actual death toll to be "considerably higher."
Many western nations have thrown support behind Ukraine, announcing significant economic sanctions against Russia and sending weapons and ammunition to Ukrainian forces.
You can read statements from all five band members here.
Deep Purple's tour resumes this May. Get all the tour dates here.