Netrebko on the London stage: how a Russian opera star “provoked” Zaluzhny and the British government
8 September 22:12
Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and current Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK Valeriy Zaluzhnyi condemned the invitation of Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko to perform at the opening of the Royal Opera House in London, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
He called the decision a “rash signal” from the British administration and cultural institutions.
Reasons for the outrage
Zaluzhny reminded in his column for the Daily Mail that Netrebko:
- in 2012 was a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin;
- openly supports the Kremlin’s policy of occupying Ukrainian territories;
- her speech in London could be seen as “legitimizing the aggression against Ukraine.”
According to the former general, Netrebko’s appearance on the stage of Covent Garden is Putin’s “test” of Kyiv’s closest ally, the United Kingdom.
Details of the performance
- The concert is scheduled for September 11, 2025;
- Netrebko will perform the opera Tosca by Giacomo Puccini;
- The performance will take place in the legendary Covent Garden, where she will be received by the audience, perhaps without realizing the political context.
Zaluzhny’s reaction
- Netrebko was called a “cultural tool of the Kremlin” used to legitimize the murder of Ukrainians;
- Zaluzhny expressed his disappointment with both British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the theater’s administration;
- He called for a reconsideration of the decision to perform and to take into account the political risks of such invitations.
It should be reminded that performances by Russian artists in Western Europe often become the subject of political controversy after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine;
Such situations emphasize the challenges in combining culture and politics, when artistic events can have a diplomatic resonance;
British cultural institutions, including the Royal Theater, are caught between a desire to maintain an apolitical stance and international pressure to support Ukraine.
