What’s news. The administration of the Royal Palace of Caserta called off Gergiev’s symphonic performance, which was part of a festival funded by the Campania regional government.
- The decision comes after weeks of mounting controversy surrounding the Russian conductor’s presence, known for his public support of Putinian views, and growing concerns over public safety at the event.
Political context. Activists, intellectuals, and associations representing Ukrainian and Russian dissidents condemned Gergiev’s appearance.
- Yulia Navalnaya, widow of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, also issued an open letter in Repubblica, calling Gergiev a “close friend of Vladimir Putin” and a supporter of his criminal policies.
- Some protesters had even purchased tickets to disrupt the concert.
- Campania governor Vincenzo De Luca (Democratic Party) defended the invitation, describing dialogue as a necessary path to peace.
Who is Gergiev? A world-renowned conductor, Gergiev has long acted as one of the Kremlin’s most prominent cultural envoys.
- He publicly endorsed the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and led a concert in the ruins of Palmyra in 2016 under the auspices of the Russian government.
- Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, he has been dropped by institutions such as La Scala, Carnegie Hall, and the Vienna and Munich philharmonics for refusing to distance himself from Russia’s military aggression.
Moscow’s response. The Russian Embassy in Italy dismissed the cancellation as a blow to Italy, not Russia.
- In a Telegram statement, the embassy accused the Italian authorities of “bowing to the political lobbying of Ukrainian immigrants and other groups”. It claimed that the move undermines Italy’s cultural credibility and tradition of openness.
Hybrid adjika. Russian Embassy added that Italy is now “yielding to the demands of Ukrainian immigrants and their political lobbying efforts.”
Reality check. Speaking to our sister website Formiche, Benedetto Della Vedova — former Deputy Foreign Minister and current opposition figure with +Europa — defended the cancellation of the Gergiev concert by drawing a clear line: “This is not about Russophobia or censoring Russian culture, which is immensely rich. The point is political.”
- Della Vedova warned that pro-Putin narratives have deeply infiltrated Italian media, with TV often giving space to commentators who, knowingly or not, echo Kremlin propaganda: “That’s one reason why we struggle to grasp how dangerous some of these figures really are.”
