Ukrainian diaspora joins global call on London’s Royal Opera House to cancel Netrebko performance

Ukrainians in the UK are standing alongside cultural leaders worldwide to urge London’s Royal Opera House to cancel Russian soprano Anna Netrebko’s scheduled appearance this season. 

More than 50 prominent cultural and political figures signed an open letter that condemns the opera house’s decision by stressing that Netrebko has long served as a symbol of Kremlin propaganda and remains closely tied to a regime that is guilty of war crimes against Ukraine. 

Among the signatories are representatives of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, including Chairman Petro Rewko, Executive Director Fedir Kurlak, and Board Member Iryna Terlecky, The Guardian reports.

“For Ukrainians, the UK’s unwavering support […] has been a vital source of strength and hope amid Russia’s brutal war of aggression. It is, therefore, with great pain that we witness the Royal Opera House inviting Anna Netrebko,” the letter reads.

Netrebko is described by the signatories as a long-standing symbol of cultural propaganda for a regime “responsible for serious war crimes.”

The signatories also criticized the opera house’s executive director, who previously said support for Ukraine “was aligned with the global consensus at the time” and that its position has since changed due to “complex geopolitics”.

“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 reads.

A protest against Netrebko’s performance also took place outside the opera house that was attended by several dozen people.

A petition to cancel Netrebko’s performance at the Royal Opera House season is available online.

In May, the German-based Ukrainian organization Vitsche Berlin held protests against concerts by the pro-Putin Russian soprano.

Netrebko, a Russian citizen who also holds Austrian citizenship, is known for her support of Putin’s regime. In 2014, she posed with the flag of the so-called “Novorossiya” and expressed support for the militants in the “L/DPR.” 

Ukraine added her to its sanctions list in 2023.