The Nation - News from Sept. 24, 1989
A 19-year-old musician from the Leningrad State Conservatory taking part in a student exchange program in Maryland has defected. “The State Department has confirmed that he is at some location, and that is the only fact we know for certain,” said Towson State University President Hoke Smith. Immigration and Naturalization Service officials declined to comment on the status of Pyotr Zaytsev, who is said to be at an undisclosed federal location seeking political asylum, the Baltimore Sun reported. The performer was among 20 students and 10 faculty members from the Leningrad institution participating in the exchange with Towson State.
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