London pushes back against Putin's favorite singer Anna Netrebko

On September 11, the Royal Opera House in London is preparing to present Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, featuring the controversial Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, who in 2014 donated money to support terrorists in Donbas.

The Royal Opera first announced Netrebko's return to its stage back in April, when the production appeared on its official website.

In mid-August, leading figures of the global cultural elite and Ukrainian activists signed an open letter urging the Royal Opera House to reconsider her participation. The letter, published by The Guardian, gathered over 50 signatures.

Photo: Facebook/Royal Ballet And Opera

NETREBKO'S PERFORMANCE WILL BE A DAY OF SHAME FOR THE ROYAL OPERA

One of the signatories, Labour MP Alex Sobel, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine, sharply condemned the Opera House's decision in comments to Ukrinform.

"Everyone in the UK has a responsibility to stand against Russia’'s aggression and support Ukraine including our cultural institutions whether state funded or not. The decision by an organization which receives in excess of GBP 20 million of state funding to someone who has clear public association with the Kremlin is a day of shame for our Royal Ballet and Opera," the MP said.

Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, also called on the Opera House to cancel Netrebko's performance in a social media post on the eve of the premiere.

Speaking to Ukrinform, the ambassador stressed that Netrebko is not a "neutral" artist, but one whose public image is closely tied to the Kremlin.

"The first chords of Tosca in Moscow's view are a signal that the world is ready to welcome it back. We are working hard to raise awareness of this problem. On Thursday, hundreds will again gather outside the Royal Opera House. This is a loud and clear message: the British stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. Tosca's tears on stage echo the real tears of Ukrainian children – and we cannot allow the Kremlin to hide its crimes behind cultural scenery," Zaluzhnyi said.

Ukrinform sent inquiries to Royal Opera House Chief Executive Alex Beard regarding Netrebko's performances, but as of September 11 had received no response.

Photo: Olga Rubio Dalmau

NETREBKO'S COVENT GARDEN APPEARANCE IS A DELIBERATE KREMLIN PROVOCATION

Since early September, British and Ukrainian activists in London have been holding protests against Netrebko's performances.

Olena Ivashchenko, head of the UK-based NGO Campaign for Ukraine, said activists had sent multiple letters to the Opera House urging it to cancel. Living in London since 2020, she has organized numerous pro-Ukrainian events. According to her, the Opera's management justified its decision by pointing to Netrebko's 2022 statement in which she ostensibly condemned Russia's full-scale invasion – something the Opera deemed sufficient to reinstate her.

Indeed, in March 2022 Netrebko published a social media post distancing herself from Putin, declaring her love for "my homeland, Russia" and saying she sought "only peace and unity through art." She added that she had "never received financial support from the Russian government." Yet she said nothing about her 2014 donation of one million rubles to the Russian-installed authorities in occupied Donetsk, allegedly "to restore the Donetsk National Opera House."

The money was handed in person to collaborator Oleg Tsaryov against the backdrop of the "Novorossiya" flag. The opera house itself was undamaged and needed no repairs, leaving the true destination of the funds unknown. After the takeover, the Donetsk Opera's repertoire was purged of Ukrainian works. Its stage later hosted the so-called "inauguration" of militant leader Denis Pushilin, and another separatist, Alexander Zakharchenko, even sang a duet there with Joseph Kobzon.

For her open and financial support for Russia's occupation of Donbas, Netrebko has never apologized. Ambassador Zaluzhnyi told Ukrinform that her support for the occupiers was a conscious choice – and that her appearances on world stages directly serve Kremlin interests.

Photo: Valerii Zaluzhnyi/Telegram

"Anna Netrebko is not an artist 'outside politics.' She was a Putin campaign surrogate, received awards from his hands, posed with the 'Novorossiya' flag, and donated money to support the occupied Donbas. These were conscious choices to side with the aggressor. Her appearance at Covent Garden is not just a cultural event but a deliberate Kremlin provocation. Moscow is trying to reassert itself in the UK, our closest and most committed ally, and show that even here the red carpet can be rolled out for dictatorship," Zaluzhnyi said.

Ivashchenko told Ukrinform that on the evening of September 11 Ukrainian activists would once again stage a protest outside the Opera House.

"For several months we have been running a campaign against the performance of Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko at the Royal Opera House. On the opening day of the Opera's season, we will stage a protest called 'Alley of Glory' – at the theatre entrance, 20 people dressed in black will stand holding portraits of Ukrainian artists killed by Russia's war. Among them are conductors, singers, musicians, and actors who never lived to see their next performance. In this way, we honor the memory of those who died for Ukraine's freedom – and remind the international community that there can be no such thing as being 'apolitical' while Ukrainian artists are being killed by Russian missiles, and Russian propagandists are being applauded on the world's leading stages," the activist told Ukrinform.

Netrebko's performances have been repeatedly cancelled. In March 2022, New York's Metropolitan Opera, one of the world's most prestigious theatres, severed ties with her. General Manager Peter Gelb said the decision was due to her public support of Putin, and Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska stepped in to sing her role. That same spring, the Bavarian State Opera also dropped Netrebko.

On August 17, 2023, her Prague concert was cancelled. The following month, however, Berlin State Opera staged her in Macbeth, despite a petition with nearly 28,000 signatures. In May 2024, a planned performance in Lucerne, Switzerland, was cancelled, while on May 4 in Wiesbaden nearly 500 protesters rallied against her appearance at the International May Festival.

Anna Kostiuchenko, Kyiv

First photo: Olga Rubio Dalmau