Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, wrote in a Daily Mail opinion piece that the Royal Opera House’s staging of Puccini’s Tosca featuring Russian soprano Anna Netrebko risks serving as a form of political soft power for the Kremlin and will be heard differently by victims of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Zaluzhnyi, who led Ukraine’s armed forces from July 27, 2021, until February 8, 2024, called on audiences and policymakers to remember what he described as Netrebko’s longstanding public support for Vladimir Putin and actions he said aligned her with Russia’s wartime narrative. In the column he wrote that Netrebko’s decades-long prominence on the world stage “drowns out the real cries” of civilians killed and displaced during Russia’s military campaigns, and he urged remembrance rather than censorship.
In the piece Zaluzhnyi recounted episodes often cited by Netrebko’s critics: her role as a "trusted representative" for Putin in the 2012 presidential election, meetings at the Kremlin and the receipt of state honours. He also referenced reporting that in 2014 Netrebko donated one million roubles to a theatre in territory held by separatists in eastern Ukraine, met a separatist leader and posed with a flag linked to the so-called Novorossiya project — events that, Zaluzhnyi argued, signalled political loyalty rather than an act of charity.
Zaluzhnyi framed the Royal Opera House engagement as more than a cultural event, calling it a test for Britain — which he described in the column as one of Ukraine’s closest supporters during the war — and for Europe. He asked whether governments and audiences would permit artists with documented ties to Russia’s leadership to perform on major Western stages "as if nothing has happened," and warned that such signals matter to the Kremlin.
The opinion piece reiterated a line Zaluzhnyi said he did not intend as a call for censorship: "I am not calling for censorship. I am calling for memory and honesty." He urged those who attend or promote performances by artists with pro-Kremlin associations to recall the human cost of the conflict and to acknowledge the perspectives of Ukrainians who have lost family members, homes and public services in the fighting.
The Royal Opera House’s production of Tosca is scheduled to run this week at Covent Garden. The Daily Mail column did not quote any immediate response from the Royal Opera House or from Anna Netrebko. Netrebko has been a subject of controversy in recent years over her public political stance; supporters have defended the separation of art and politics, while critics have argued that high-profile cultural figures can lend legitimacy to state actors.
Cultural institutions and artists have repeatedly faced questions about hosting performers whose political affiliations are contested. Supporters of such artists often point to artistic merit and the historical role of cultural exchange, while opponents argue that public platforms confer symbolic approval and should reflect ethical considerations.
Zaluzhnyi’s article ties the specific booking at Covent Garden to a larger argument about the instrumentalisation of culture. He wrote that the Kremlin uses prominent artists as elements of soft power to shape international perceptions of Russia as a nation of traditions and civilisation, even as he pointed to the devastation of communities in Ukraine.
The column places Netrebko’s scheduled performance within a wider chronology of criticism linking Russian cultural figures to state policy. It also underscores a diplomatic dimension to cultural programming: Zaluzhnyi urged audiences in Britain and elsewhere to weigh artistic programming against the backdrop of ongoing military actions and humanitarian consequences that, he said, remain unresolved.
The Royal Opera House has in the past defended its programming choices on artistic grounds, and institutions more broadly have been grappling with how to balance artistic freedom with political and ethical accountability. Zaluzhnyi’s piece adds a prominent military voice to that debate, calling for what he described as honesty about artists’ political records and sensitivity to victims of conflict.
The Daily Mail published Zaluzhnyi’s column under the headline accusing the Royal Opera House of "betraying millions." The article presents his perspective and recollections of Netrebko’s past public actions; it does not itself adjudicate disputes about the singer’s motives or the appropriate role of cultural institutions. No statement from the Royal Opera House or Anna Netrebko was included in the published opinion piece.