The Queen Sonja Competition has eliminated soprano Anastasiya Taratorkina because she is a double citizen of Russia and Germany.

OperaWire has received official emails from the soprano in which the competition states that no person with a Belorussian or Russian passport will be allowed to participate. The email read, “This year’s regulations do not allow participants with Russian or Belarusian citizenship, which unfortunately means that you are disqualified even though you also have a German passport. We will of course reimburse your paid application fee and hope that the situation changes so we may welcome you to apply for the next competition.”

In a previous email, Taratorkina stated that she was representing Germany because it was not prohibited by the rules of the competition.

Additionally, the soprano’s management stated that the soprano has lived in Germany for many years and performs regularly with the Staatstheater Wiesbaden.

The news comes as the Queen Sonja Competition announced earlier this year that “the competition board endorses Norway’s condemnation of Russia’s illegal and brutal attacks on Ukraine. The competition stands in solidarity with Ukraine and its citizens. Applications from singers with Russian or Belarusian citizenship will therefore not be accepted.”