(Photo by Dario Acosta)

Soprano Anna Netrebko has taken to social media to declare her stance against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“I have said , I am opposite to this senseless war of aggression and I am calling on Russia to end this war right now , to safe all of us! We need peace #friendship,” she posted on her Instagram account.

However, she accompanied the statement with a picture of herself holding hands with conductor Valery Gergiev, a known Putin supporter who has been fired or stepped down from several organizations for his silence on the matter. One may interpret the choice of the picture and #friendship as showing solidarity for Gergiev.

She added a second post on Instagram further establishing her stance against the war and calling for peace.

Netrebko has also supported Putin in the past which is a major reason she was called up to make a statement in support of Ukraine. Netrebko made said statement over the weekend, though she did note that she was in disagreement over being forced to speak out against her country. She has since withdrawn from performances around Europe and, per one statement, noted that she would step back from performance for the time being.

 

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