Ukrainian musicians refuse to participate in the festival in Wiesbaden due to the participation of Russian singer Anna Netrebko

The organizers of the International May Festival in Wiesbaden (IMF) refused to cancel the performance of Putin's favourite Anna Netrebko, despite letters from Ukraine to that effect. Therefore, Ukrainian musicians decided to refuse to participate in the festival.

This is stated in the release of the International May Festival in Wiesbaden (IMF).

The organisers called this step by Ukrainian musicians "politically motivated or imposed by politics."

The festival organisers received letters from German State Minister for Culture and Media Claudia Roth, which she received from the general director of the National Opera House of Ukraine Petro Chupryna, as well as from the Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko.

"In this letter, Tkachenko makes it clear that the Ukrainian side does not tolerate any cooperation with people representing Russian culture, as well as any events where Russian culture will be presented," the statement reads.

The organisers claim that they did not hide the Russian's participation from Ukrainian musicians and "it did not prevent" the National Philharmonic of Ukraine and the Taras Shevchenko Kharkiv Academic Ukrainian Drama Theater from accepting the invitation to participate in the festival.

Now the Ukrainian musicians have informed the festival organisers that they are refusing to participate.

"It is wrong that Ukrainian artists, who have repeatedly assured that they want to perform at the International May Festival 2023, are prevented from doing so by the state," the IMF organisers say. 

The IMF condemns Putin's "war of aggression," but this "cannot mean condemnation of the entire Russian people and all Russian culture."

Anna Netrebko is a Russian opera singer who is known for her support of the illegal armed formation of the "Donetsk People's Republic".