Putin’s friend GERGIEV reviewed the pro -artists’ ban on Italy

The Russian leader Valerie Girgiv has been prevented from European stages since the full invasion of Ukraine.

A close ally of Vladimir Putin for many years, the director of the Russian Bolsheoy and Marinesy theaters has never spoken against the war.

But the region of southern Italy has now called GERGIEV to Europe, indicating the rehabilitation of the artist even as Russia’s attacks on Ukraine intensify.

Vincenzo de Luca, who runs the Campania region, insists that the concert at U’estate da Re The festival later this month will go ahead despite the growing criticism.

“Culture … should not be affected by politics and political logic,” said De Luka. “We do not ask these men to answer the options made by politicians.”

The 76-year-old local leader described the veto in Europe as pro-protein artists “a moment of stupidity-a moment of madness” at the beginning of the war and announced that he was “proud” to welcoming a city in the city.

But Ben Penna Picerreno, Vice -President of the European Parliament, told BBC that Girgiv’s return was “completely unacceptable.”

She calls the star “a cultural condition for Putin and its crimes.”

The Ukrainian activist in the field of human rights and consciences of the Nobel Prize, Olikandra Mattechuk, said that the regional government’s call was “hypocrisy”, rather than neutral.

Russian opposition activists also condemned the director’s sudden return. The Anti -Corruption Corporation, from the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, wants to cancel his concert and calls on the Ministry of Interior to prohibit Girgiv’s entry into the country.

Before the full war of Russia in Ukraine, Virtuoso Gegiev was a regular visitor to the stages in Italy and through Europe, despite his proximity to Putin.

His long and metaphysical career includes periods in the London Simphony and Munich Filharmonic orchestra.

But invitations to Europe suddenly stopped on February 24, 2022.

Hours before the first Russian missiles were launched in Ukraine, GERGIEV was on stage at the La Scala Opera in Milan. He urged GERGIEV, then he chose GERGIEV silence.

It was immediately dropped from the bill.

He was abandoned by his manager, although GERGIEV was described as “the greatest alive conductor”, Then he was expelled as a great leader in Munich And remove it from parties throughout the continent.

For this reason, Italy’s invitation is very controversial.

Penna Picerno, from the Campania region itself, says her call to stop the event is not a terrorist.

“There is no shortage of wonderful Russian artists who choose to separate themselves from Putin’s criminal policies,” she told the BBC.

The European deputy, who says she has received threats to reveal the hybrid war in Russia, warns that allowing Girgiv to perform will be wrong and dangerous.

“This is not related to censorship. GERGIEV is part of the intentional Kremlin strategy. It is one of their cultural envoys to relieve Western public opinion. This is part of their war.”

The cultural controversy erupted within a week when Italy was hosting the heads of a state from all over Europe to reaffirm their support for Ukraine and discuss how to rebuild the country as soon as the war ended.

Italian Prime Minister Georgia Miloni was a strong critic and consistent to Vladimir Putin from the beginning. But the Ministry of Culture is one of the supporters U’estate Da Re, who called GERGIEV.

The great deputy of the Pradesh Party in Meloni, Alfredo Antonii, described Girgiv as “just a great artist.”

“If the Russians have to pay in exchange for the mistakes of their president, we are making a kind of cultural genocide,” he said.

Last month, Canada Girgiv prevented her entry and announced that she would freeze any assets.

But the European Union has moved away from the official sanctions against Mosul, which avoided expressing open support for the war.

GERGIEV has been a voice supporter of Putin since the 1990s, after which he had a campaign to re -election and support the inclusion of illegal Crimea of Russia in 2014.

He was handed over to the Bolshoy Theater in Moscow, as well as the Marineski Theater, which took over from a director who signed an open speech against the Russian war.

Girgiv is a state employee, but in 2022, the Alexei Navalney team revealed property in many Italian cities that they say has never been announced.

They also claimed that he used donations for a charitable box to pay the lifestyle.

Activists have argued that Girgiv’s reward for Putin’s general loyalty.

The BBC has not yet been able to reach Mosul for comment.

Eva Herncreda, a spokeswoman for the European Commission, explained that the Ustate Festival does not receive money in the European Union: it is funded by “Co -Funds” in Italy.

However, she added that the committee urged the European stages not to give space to “artists who support the war of aggression in Ukraine.”

In Campania, the coach who designed this year’s festival program refused to comment. He was a confident spokesperson for GERGIEV, though – though controversy.

“Yes,” BBC emphasized. “certainly.”

Additional reports from Rome by David Gillion.