Munich may fire Russian conductor Gergiev over Ukraine

Olga Smirnova, a prima ballerina from Russia, is speaking out against the country’s invasion of Ukraine. A lead dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet, Smirnova said she is "ashamed of Russia" and publicly denounced its president, Vladimir Putin, for giving the order to invade the neighboring country.

With the war in Ukraine continuing to push many of its citizens out of the country amid Vladimir Putin’s invasion, protests continue in Russia.  Thousands have taken to the streets to denounce the war, including the daughters of some of Russia’s most elite figures with ties to the Kremlin.  One of Russia’s most outspoken opponents of the invasion on social media has been Sofia Abramovich, who publicly called out Putin in her Instagram Story with a post that said, "Putin wants a war with Ukraine.The biggest and most successful lie out of the Kremlin propaganda is that most Russians are with Putin." Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich with his daughter Sofia Abramovich in the stands. (Mike Egerton/PA Images) The equestrian is the daughter of Roman Abramovich, 55, the owner of the Chelsea Premier League Football Club who has a reported net worth of $12 billion.The club owner has said he will sell the team after mounting pressure brought on by the invasion and his ties to the Kremlin.  Abramovich also announced that he has instructed the popular football club to set up a foundation that will use all net proceeds from the sale of Chelsea to "benefit all victims of the war in Ukraine." Abramovich has yet to be sanctioned over his relationship with Russia.

NEW YORK -- Soprano Anna Netrebko withdrew from her future engagements at the Metropolitan Opera rather than repudiate her support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, costing the company one of its top singers and best box-office draws.“It is a great artistic loss for the Met and for opera,” Met General Manager Peter Gelb said in a statement Thursday. “Anna is one of the greatest singers in Met history, but with Putin killing innocent victims in Ukraine, there was no way forward.”Gelb had said Sunday that the Met would not engage artists who support Putin.The Met made repeated efforts in recent days attempting to convince Netrebko to repudiate Putin but failed to persuade her, a person familiar with the developments said, speaking on condition of anonymity because that detail was not announced.The Met’s decision followed the collapse of the international career of Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, who has been close to Putin as artistic and general director of the Mariinsky in St.

“South Park” remains timely.

Russian-born model Irina Shayk shared her support for Ukraine on Monday via Instagram. Shayk, 36, shared a photo of a black and white peace sign on her personal Instagram account as Russia continues to invade Ukraine. "No To War," she wrote, adding prayer and broken heart emojis.

Ukraine intensified Tuesday as the Cannes Film Festival said no Russian delegations would be welcome this year and the Venice festival announced free screenings of a film about the 2014 conflict in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.The announcements by Europe's two premier film festivals came on the heels of other high-profile protests in the arts, including Hollywood's decision to pull films scheduled for release in Russia and the Munich Philharmonic's decision to fire chief conductor Valery Gergiev. The orchestra, joined by other orchestras and festivals linked to Gergiev, cited his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his refusal to reject the invasion.Cannes, which is scheduled for May, is the most global of film festivals and its international village of flag-waving pavilions annually hosts more than 80 countries from around the world.In a statement, festival organizers said the ban on any official Russian delegation or individuals linked to the Kremlin would remain “unless the war of assault ends in conditions that will satisfy the Ukrainian people.”The festival didn’t rule out accepting films from Russia.

Ukraine has drawn swift and wide-ranging condemnation from the international community, which has imposed unprecedented sanctions against President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle and pushed the Russian economy to a breaking point, with the ruble plummeting to historic lows on Monday.Amid calls for a boycott of Russian films that have received government support and a strident response from European media groups, cultural institutions, film festivals and industry confabs, the backlash has rattled Russian filmmakers with long-standing personal and professional ties to the continent’s screen industry.“The need for Europe to make a clear anti-war statement is understandable and necessary. However, banning all Russians from the major cultural events is not only unhelpful — it’s harmful,” said one veteran producer.

Russia has carried out it's deadliest missile attack on Ukraine overnight since the conflict began killing over 70 people.

Strictly Come Dancing former pro dancer James Jordan entered into a tense back and forth on Twitter with head judge Shirley Ballas over claims that past and present Russian dancers haven't shown enough support for Ukraine, which is currently being invaded by Russia under President Vladimir Putin's orders. Following 43 year old James's angry rant on what he perceived past colleagues to have done to help in the crisis, Shirley couldn't let his comments slide by, in a row that comes amid controversy over former dancer Kristina Rihanoff's comments about Russia and Ukraine.

Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has been dropped by his management and from upcoming performances in Europe and the US over his failure to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The friend and long-time supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far issued no statement on the war.Gergiev had been represented by Munich-based manager Marcus Felsner since December 2020.