The Met was ordered to pay nearly £200,000 in compensation for the lost performances, and Ms Netrebko is now suing the opera house and its manager for damages. She was dropped weeks after the start of the war because of her vague stance on it.

Organisers confirmed Ms Netrebko will not demand compensation for the cancellation.īut Ms Netrebko didn't go as quietly with her former employer, New York City's Metropolitan Opera. The Czech Republic has been a firm supporter of Ukraine since the start of the war. The government's coalition partners have said they 'unequivocally' opposed the concert, calling it 'insensitive'. The controversy has forced the Czech government to cancel her scheduled performance in Prague in October, over 'political pressures'. The top Russian soprano openly backed Vladimir Putin before the war, but has notably - and controversially - refused to condemn the invasion despite widespread pressure. The ups and downs of Anna Netrebko's recent soprano career have posed some of the biggest geopolitical challenges to the opera world in years. Only three high-speed lines were in operation by the start of the war: one connecting Moscow and St Petersburg, another linking St Petersburg with the Finnish capital Helsinki, and a third connecting Moscow with the city of Nizhny Novgorod. The introduction of a new line would be a major innovation to Russian railways. 'The Minsk direction would be in great demand both by our residents and the residents of Belarus,' he added. 'It seems to me that this issue should be worked out with the government of Belarus. 'It will be necessary to think about how to connect both Luhansk and Donetsk,' he was heard saying. Speaking at a launch event for new commuter railway systems in Moscow on Thursday, he said he was considering new lines to link the Russian capital with Minsk and the occupied cities of Luhansk and Donetsk. Vladimir Putin has suggested expanding Russia's high-speed rail network, to boost cooperation between Russia, its key ally Belarus, and its occupied territory.

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