The Russian-Austrian opera soprano Anna Netrebko has given support to east Ukrainian separatists, posing with one of their top political leaders and holding up the flag of Novorossia, a self-declared amalgamation of territory that is seeking independence from Kyiv.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
The Guardian: Opera singer Anna Netrebko poses with Ukrainian separatist flag
A file picture taken on August 4, 2014 shows Russian singer Anna Netrebko as Leonora performs on stage during a dress rehearsal of Guiseppe Verdi's opera 'Il Trovatore' directed by Alvis Hermanis in Salzburg, Austria. Anna Netrebko, the Russian-born soprano, sparked controversy on Monday after she publicly gave a donation to a theatre in Ukraine's breakaway Donetsk region and posed with a Ukrainian separatist flag. Netrebko handed a cheque for a million rubles ($18,700)to separatist politician Oleg Tsarev in a televised ceremony in Saint Petersburg on Sunday, saying \"I want to take a step to support the arts where it is especially necessary now.\"
