'They were serfs — now they’re slaves.' Russian pop legend Alla Pugacheva responds to critics after denouncing war.
In a new post on Instagram, 73-year-old Russian pop star Alla Pugacheva addressed her critics in the wake of her recent anti-war statement.
My God! What a joy it is to be hated by the very same people I’ve never been able to stand. If they were fans of mine, it would mean I've sung and lived in vain. The reason is clear. Let them grind their teeth. THEY WERE SERFS, NOW THEY’RE SLAVES.
The singer didn’t indicate exactly who she was referring to.
In late September, sources told the news outlets Izvestia and Channel Five that Pugacheva, who returned to Russia in August, had left the country again. The Telegram channel Mash claimed Pugacheva returned to Russia in order to put real estate she owns up for sale. Pugacheva’s concert director declined to comment on the report.
In response to the media reports that Pugacheva had left Russia for a second time, a message appeared on the screen on Moscow’s Ostankino Tower that read, “Alla, why the fuck did you come?” Meanwhile, a digital sign on Moscow’s Novy Arbat Avenue showed a picture of Pugacheva alongside fictional dates for concerts in Ukraine’s occupied territories.
On September 18, Alla Pugacheva asked Russia’s Justice Ministry to add her to its “foreign agent” registry after her husband, comedian Maxim Galkin, was named a “foreign agent” the previous day. In the request, she referred to her husband as a “true patriot of Russia” and criticized Russia’s war against Ukraine. Soon after, the post was reported to Russian police.