Ukrainian Ambassador Yaroslav Melnyk has written a letter to the Rome Opera in opposition to Anna Netrebko’s upcoming performance of “Tosca” at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.

In the letter to Roberto Gualtieri Mayor of Rome, President of the Rome Opera Foundation, and Dr. Francesco Giambrone Superintendent of the Rome Opera House, the ambassador said, “We learned about the revival of the opera ‘Tosca’ with Anna Netrebko scheduled by Teatro dell’Opera in Rome in March 2025, and we kindly ask you to reconsider your decision. We find this choice very problematic and inappropriate, given Netrebko’s previous dealings with the Putin regime, and her dubious positions in the past, and during the current Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

The ambassador added, “The opera singer constantly claims to be out of politics; However, she has never hidden her support for Putin, in 2012 her name appeared on a list supporting Putin’s election. In her 2022 interview with ‘Die Zeit,’ Anna Netrebko acknowledges that “it would have been unreasonable to refuse to do so” and she states that she cannot criticize Putin during the 2022 invasion, because he is still the president of Russia and she is still a Russian citizen.”

The statement talked about Netrebko’s endorsement of Putin in 2012 and her donation to the Donetsk Opera in 2014. The statement also spoke about Netrebko’s celebration of Victory Day when she wore a T-shirt with the words “To Berlin!” on May 9, 2010, before the war and her alleged “pro-Russian stance” in 2008. Melnyk also criticized Netrebko’s statement on March 30, 2022 noting that it was more than a month after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and noted that it was not sincere.

The letter added, “Without diminishing Netrebko’s artistic talent, we believe that her participation in such an important event for Italian opera and culture, which will undoubtedly will have significant international resonance, is an insult and an offense against the Ukrainian people, including thousands of our fellow citizens, auch as those who have lived in Italy for years, and the refugees who found refuge in Italy after the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hundreds of Ukrainian artists have already died due to Russia’s military aggression. One cannot try to be neutral when the foundations of peaceful life are being destroyed and universal human values ​​are being ignored. We believe that artists must be aware of their influence within society. The silence of Russian cultural figures helps the aggression, and Russia uses culture for propaganda purposes.”

The ambassador also criticized the “participation of Russian artists from the Bolshoi State Academic Theater of Russia and the Mariinsky State Academic Theater, announced in the 2024-2025 season of the Rome Opera House, will not honor the theater, and will not increase its artistic value. These Russian theaters are known for their location during the current Russian invasion and closely linked to the criminal Kremlin regime. Director of the Mariinsky Theater Valeriy Gergiev, who supports President Putin’s aggressive policy, was also appointed director of the Bolshoi Theater in 2023, replacing Vladimir Urin in this position. The Russian government fired Urin from the position of director for having signed the “anti-war letter” together with other culture key figures, who suffered the same fate. For all the reasons above, we believe that ignoring these facts and inviting Netrebko and other ambassadors of the so-called ‘Russian peace,’ to perform on one of the most prestigious stages in the world, is unacceptable in the current conditions. We hope for your understanding and kindly ask you to cancel Anna Netrebko’s performances at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.”

The letter comes nearly a month after the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma announced its 2024-25 season and noted that Netrebko will sing the title role of “Tosca.” The soprano made her Rome debut in 2014 in a production of “Manon Lescaut” and later performed a concert with Yusif Eyvazov in 2020.