No Stage for Putin’s Supporter: Protest at Berlin State Opera

Yes, the demonstration is taking place for the third time, as Anna Netrebko has once again been invited to perform at the Berlin State Opera. This time, we have decided to do it differently — to clearly show what the “russkiy Mir” ideology supported by Mrs. Netrebko truly means.

For reasons unknown, Berlin State Opera is giving the stage — for the third time — to a public supporter of Vladimir Putin.

We cannot accept that Anna Netrebko, who in 2014 supported the russian occupation of Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and who has yet to acknowledge her mistakes, is allowed to perform as if nothing happened.

Netrebko is a prime example of russia’s soft power: using culture to spread propaganda and disinformation under the guise of “high culture.” She has not clearly distanced herself from her long-standing support for Putin.

By publicly endorsing him, she helped legitimize the occupation of Ukrainian territories since 2014 and contributed to the escalation that led to the full-scale invasion. In her so-called “anti-war” statement, she didn’t even name russia as the aggressor — instead, she reaffirmed her emotional bond with the country.

On May 15, we will show what this kind of “love” means in practice. russia’s “love” is felt through double missile strikes aimed at killing first responders. That’s exactly what happened to the small Ukrainian ambulance called Barwinka, from Derhachi in the Kharkiv region. On March 12, 2022, it was hit while responding to an emergency.

Together with Fellas4Europe, we are bringing Barwinka to Berlin for the protest at 18:30 on May 15.

👉 15. Mai, 18:30 Uhr
📍Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin

Join us — with your voices and your posters — to clearly show the consequences of normalizing russian propaganda on Berlin’s cultural stages.

If opera visitors choose to look away from russian war crimes, we will make sure those crimes are brought to their doorstep.