In January 2026, Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov was scheduled to perform in the opera Don Giovanni at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Italy. However, the tour has been cancelled.
The announcement was made by Pina Picierno, Vice-President of the European Parliament, who wrote: “We have once again defeated Putin and Kremlin propaganda.” Yulia Navalnaya also took part in the cancellation campaign. The MEP thanked her and the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) for calling on the theatre to refuse to engage the singer, who is known for his support of the Russian regime.
Abdrazakov’s name has already disappeared from the theatre’s website. This is not the first time his performances have been cancelled: in 2024, his concert was cancelled in Naples, and in 2023 in Munich.
Ildar Abdrazakov is the artistic director of a theatre in occupied Sevastopol and a public supporter of Putin. Like conductor Valery Gergiev, he is among those representatives of Russian culture whose activities abroad are increasingly met with resistance.