Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of the late Russian politician Alexei Navalny, has called on the Italian authorities to cancel a concert by conductor Valery Gergiev due to his support for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
The conductor, who supports Putin's dictatorial regime and Russia's war against Ukraine, was scheduled to perform on July 27 at the Reggia di Caserta palace on the outskirts of Naples: the concert was supposed to feature the local philharmonic orchestra and soloists from the Mariinsky Theatre orchestra in St. Petersburg.
How is it possible that in the summer of 2025, three years after the start of the war in Ukraine, Valery Gergiev, an accomplice of Putin, is suddenly invited to Italy to participate in a festival?
Gergiev himself did not respond to her statement.
Additionally
Valery Gergiev is a conductor, artistic director, and general director of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, as well as the general director of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. In 2014, he supported the Russian occupation and annexation of Crimea, and in 2022, he supported Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Gergiev performed at a rally-concert in Moscow in honor of the annexation of Crimea and the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Due to his stance, he was included in the sanctions lists of Ukraine, Canada, and some EU countries.
Recall
Ukrainian and EU officials called on European theaters not to invite Russian artists who support the war. Instead, they suggested inviting Ukrainian or European performers.