The widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny urged Italian authorities on Tuesday to cancel a concert by Russian maestro Valery Gergiev, saying it would help normalize President Vladimir Putin’s international relations.
Gergiev, a personal friend of President Putin, leads Moscow’s world-famous Bolshoi Theater and has been shunned by the West since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine for failing to denounce the war. However, on July 27, he is scheduled to conduct what organizers have described as an “unforgettable symphony concert” at the former royal palace of Reggia di Caserta, near Naples.
Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation has called for the concert to be cancelled, and his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, pressed the case in an editorial on Tuesday in the Italian daily La Repubblica.
“As Putin’s cultural ambassador, Valery Gergiev implements Russia’s soft power policy.” She described the concert as a “test balloon” for boosting Putin’s image in Europe.
On the other hand, Vincenzo De Luca, head of the Campania region, defended the concert, saying, “Culture is a tool to keep dialogue open.”
“We don’t ask those men of culture to answer for the political choices of those who lead their respective countries,” he added.
