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UK Politicians and Artists Urge Royal Opera to Drop Russian Soprano Over Putin Support
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More than 50 Ukrainian writers and artists, a cross-party group of UK MPs, and a former New Zealand prime minister have called on the Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) to remove Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko from its upcoming London season, according to The Guardian on August 14.
Netrebko is scheduled to perform in the RBO’s production of Tosca next month. In a letter to The Guardian, the signatories describe her as a “longtime symbol of cultural propaganda for a regime that is responsible for serious war crimes.” They argue that the RBO has placed itself “on the wrong side of history” by inviting her to perform in title roles at a time when Russia is intensifying attacks “on peaceful Ukrainian cities and civilians” and attempting to systematically erase Ukrainian culture.
“The Royal Opera now faces a defining choice: between status and responsibility, between profit and values, between silence and conscience. We urge you to remain, as you consistently have, on the ethical side of art—and of history,” the letter states.
According to The Guardian, signatories include Ukrainian novelists Andriy Kurkov and Serhiy Zhadan, Oscar-winning filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov, and chef and author Olia Hercules. The letter is also backed by former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, a group of MPs, and French intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy.
The Royal Opera House and Netrebko declined to comment. Earlier this month, the RBO canceled its production of Tosca at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv after nearly 200 Royal Opera and Ballet members signed an open letter criticizing the organization’s stance on Gaza.
RBO chief executive Alex Beard denied accusations of double standards, explaining that in July the opera house confiscated a Palestinian flag from a performer, while in 2022 it displayed the Ukrainian flag in solidarity after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“Our support for Ukraine was aligned with the global consensus at the time. As the world’s geopolitics have become more complex, our stance has changed to ensure that our actions reflect our purpose and values,” Beard said last week.
Labour MP Alex Sobel, chair of the parliamentary all-party group on Ukraine, said he was “deeply troubled” by the invitation to Netrebko and the RBO’s apparent shift away from supporting Kyiv, The Guardian reported.
“You can’t explain it as ‘complex geopolitics.’ It’s not complex. It’s simple. Don’t invite Russian supporters of the regime to perform. Ukraine is fighting for all our freedoms. This is adding insult to injury,” Sobel said.
Conservative MP John Whittingdale and Labour MP Emily Thornberry have met privately with Beard to discuss Netrebko’s participation in the 2025–26 season and have also written to him.
“Anna Netrebko may be a fine soprano but she has previously shown support for Russian separatists in Ukraine and has said nothing to condemn Russian brutality since a single statement over three years ago,” Whittingdale said.
“I am sorry that the Royal Opera House has reversed its position by inviting her to perform, and hope at the very least that she will make clear her condemnation of Putin and his regime before taking the stage in London,” he added.
Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya, who organized the letter, said the RBO should replace her with a singer “not associated with a criminal regime.”
Earlier, it was reported that Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, a longtime associate of Vladimir Putin, is facing renewed controversy in Italy ahead of his scheduled July 29 performance at the Royal Palace of Caserta, a UNESCO World Heritage site located 35 kilometers north of Naples.
