There is hardly a person in Russia who does not know the pop icon Alla Pugacheva. From the early 1970s she shaped Russian pop like no other, people sang her songs, after the collapse of the Soviet Union she became a superstar, both in Russia and in the Ukraine.

One might think that such a thing has a lot of influence on the public. If she now criticizes the Russian attack on the Slavic neighbor, that could perhaps rouse some fans - and support for warmongering President Vladimir Putin could begin to crumble. But that's wishful thinking.

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