Well-known Russian pop singer Alla Pugacheva has come under pressure in her homeland after criticizing Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. "These poets, harlequins and jugglers just need a chance to sing and dance, smirk and vulgarly smart-shit," Valery Fadeyev, head of the Russian President's Human Rights Commission, commented on Monday on the institution's official website of Pugacheva's call for peace. One of Pugacheva's most famous songs is called "Harlekino". The Russian rap singer Timati, who is close to the Kremlin, also complained about the singer's alleged lack of patriotism.

Pugacheva had complained that Russian soldiers were dying for "illusory goals" while at the same time Russia was being internationally ostracized by the war. The words of the 73-year-old, who is still considered a superstar in her home country, found a wide echo. The state media, however, ignored their criticism of the war in their reporting and only reported on their demand to also be stamped as a "foreign agent" - a stigma in Russia. She showed solidarity with her husband Maxim Galkin, a famous comedian in exile in Israel who had been blacklisted by the Ministry of Justice in Moscow.

The Kremlin declined to comment on Pugacheva's statement. In Russia there was also encouragement for the singer. Julia Navalnaja, the wife of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, published Pugacheva's criticism on Instagram. British electropop band Pet Shop Boys tweeted: "We admire the courage and honesty of legendary Russian superstar Alla Pugacheva, who has denounced Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine and said he will make Russia a pariah."