Following a joint statement with her husband Yusif Eyvazov, Anna Netrebko has broken her silence and taken to Instagram to denounce the war.

The soprano said, “I have taken some time to reflect because I think the situation is too serious to comment on without really giving it thought.”

She continued, “First of all: I am opposed to this war. I am Russian and I love my country but I have many friends in Ukraine and the pain and suffering right now breaks my heart. I want this war to end and for people to be able to live in peace. This is what I hope and pray for. I want to add, however, that forcing artists, or any public figure to voice their political opinions in public and to denounce their homeland is not right. This should be a free choice. I am not a political person. I am not an expert in politics. I am an artist and my purpose is to unite across political divides.”

This is the first time the soprano posts on her social media in over a week. Netrebko was set to perform on Feb. 25 but was forced to cancel her concert in Denmark due to growing pressures and threats of protests over her past ties to Putin.