Singer Alla Pugacheva, known as the queen of pop music in the era of the Soviet Union, denounced the “war of President Vladimir Putin”, whom she accuses of killing soldiers in the name of illusory ideals, creating a burden for the people and making Russia an international pariah.
The 73-year-old singer, who has become an icon of Soviet and post-Soviet popular culture, is one of Russia’s most famous women, has more than 3 million followers on Instagram and has posed with Vladimir Putin.
Now, Alla Pugacheva is challenging the country’s authorities to classify her as a “foreign agent” after her husband, comedian, TV presenter and singer Maxim Galkin, was also included in a list of enemies of the state.
“I call to be included in the list of foreign agents of my beloved country because I am in solidarity with my husband, an honest, decent and sincere person, a true and incorruptible patriot of Russia, who wishes the Motherland prosperity, peace. , freedom of expression and an end to the death of our children for illusory purposes that make our country a pariah and overwhelm the lives of our citizens,” Pugasheva posted on Instagram, a social network that was banned by Russia, in a post that in less than 24 hours it already had more than 650 thousand likes.
Since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Russian authorities have persecuted anyone who publicly criticizes the intervention and have fined artists who risk making anti-war statements. The Russian state station treats critics as “traitors to the motherland.”
Speaking to the BBC, Artemy Troitsky, a Russian journalist and music critic who left the country in 2014, praised the pop star’s stance and considered that the door now opened by Pugacheva can be opened by several other Russian public figures. “I think this is the first strong political statement from her and that in itself is quite shocking to people in Russia. I think she is not the only one who can change public opinion. Morally and emotionally, this statement by Alla Pugacheva is perhaps one of the strongest efforts in this direction.”
Source: Observadora
