Pugacheva (73) has been a major star in the Soviet Union and then Russia since the 1970s. So far, she has abstained from commenting on the war, but her husband Maxim Galkin did speak out against the raid. The TV host was recently labeled a “foreign agent” because of his criticism.
That was reason for Pugacheva to declare solidarity with her husband on Sunday. “I ask you to also put me on the list of foreign agents,” she addressed the Ministry of Justice on Instagram. She called her husband an “honest and ethical person”, who only advocates “prosperity, peace and freedom of expression in his motherland”.
Since the invasion, Russia has been cracking down on criticism, with fines for artists who speak out against the war. They also run the risk of their shows being cancelled. Pugacheva and her husband left Russia after the war started and settled in Israel. According to the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti and the Moscow Times, Pugacheva has been back in Russia since August, “to put things in order”.