More than 50 Ukrainian writers and artists, a group of British MPs, and the former Prime Minister of New Zealand have called for the Royal Opera House in London to remove Russian soprano Anna Netrebko from the new season.
The authors of the letter describe her as a "cultural propaganda symbol of a regime accused of war crimes." They emphasized that Netrebko's performances on Western stages, especially at a time when Russia is escalating attacks on Ukraine, amount to "standing on the wrong side of history."
Netrebko supported the Donetsk Opera House in 2014 and was photographed with the separatist flag of "Novorossiya." Although she made statements condemning the war in 2022, she has not openly criticized Putin.
