Russian soprano Anna Netrebko out at the Met Opera

Statista. And over the years, celebs have met with Russian President Vladimir Putin while visiting the country for events, like professional fights and concerts. Here’s a look at some celebs who either once hobnobbed or briefly met with Putin.Mickey RourkeIn an interview with Fox News Digital, Mickey Rourke recalled meeting Putin when Rourke had a “professional fight four years ago” in Russia.“I had the time of my life,” Rourke told Fox News Digital about visiting the country. “The people couldn’t have been nicer, more polite, more respectful.

As the Russia-Ukraine war continues, many industries have sanctioned Russia, including Hollywood.  Although Russia isn’t a leading market for Hollywood, it was one of the top six box office markets worldwide in revenue in 2021, according to Statista.  And over the years, celebs have met with Russian President Vladimir Putin while visiting the country for events, like professional fights and concerts.  Here’s a look at some celebs who either once hobnobbed or briefly met with Putin. Mickey Rourke In an interview with Fox News Digital, Mickey Rourke recalled meeting Putin when Rourke had a "professional fight four years ago" in Russia.

Fresh drone footage has revealed the moment Russia launched a hypersonic missile strike on Ukraine yesterday.

Mila Kunis shed more light on her feelings about Russia, and the government’s invasion into her home country of Ukraine during a new interview with Maria Shriver. The 38-year-old actress admitted that even as Russian forces attack Ukraine, she doesn’t want people think of Russian people as the “enemy.” While she didn’t name Russian President Vladimir Putin by name, she pointed to those in power as the root of the problem.

Metropolitan Opera after her support for Vladimir Putin resurfaced amid Russia’s devastating invasion of Ukraine.Netrebko, 50, is one of the opera’s highest grossing box office superstars and her exit is a major blow to the Manhattan cultural establishment.“It is a great artistic loss for the Met and for opera,” Met General Manager Peter Gelb announced in a statement on 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 said last Sunday that the Met would not continue to associate with artists who support Putin.

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.

Anna Netrebko, famous Russian soprano, will be banned from the Metropolitan Opera for the next two seasons after she failed to denounce Vladimir Putin amid his war on Ukraine.

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.