Anna Netrebko breaks her silence: I condemn Ukraine war

Mentioning the Putin-banned word ‘war’ and certainly not playing with words that can be misinterpreted or phrases that need to be understood by reading between the lines, Anna Netrebko has issued a “STATEMENT FROM ANNA NETREBKO FOLLOWING RECENT MEDIA REPORTS”. On social media channels she wrote:

I expressly condemn the war on Ukraine and my thoughts are with the victims of this war and their families.

My position is clear. I am not a member of any political party nor am I allied with any leader of Russia. I acknowledge and regret that past actions or statements of mine could have been misinterpreted. In fact, I have met President Putin only a handful of times in my entire life, most notably on the occasion of receiving awards in recognition of my art or at the Olympics opening ceremony. I have otherwise never received any financial support from the Russian Government, and live and am a tax resident in Austria.

I love my homeland of Russia and only seek peace and unity through my art. After taking my announced break, I will resume performing in late May, initially in Europe.