As public backlash begins, soprano refutes the political implications of the controversial image.

A backlash has begun against Russian soprano Anna Netrebko in response to photos of the opera star posing with a Pro-Russia Ukrainian separatist leader, Oleg Tsarov, while holding the flag of Novorossia, the amalgamated territories currently held by rebel forces in the Ukrain.

The image, which was taken at a press conference in St Petersburg on Sunday where Netrebko also made a 1million rouble donation to a Ukrainian opera theatre, has angered many as it strongly implies Netbreko’s support for the controversial conflict and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Austrian Airlines, for which Netrebko is a spokesperson announced yesterday that they would not renew Netrebko’s contract, which expired at the end of November, to be the face for their advertising campaigns. In a press statement the airline remarked, “We distance ourselves from extreme political positions and the use of armed violence.”

Anna Netrebko in an Austrian Airlines advert

Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer also publically condemned Netrebko, saying that the image represented a “completely conscious and political act.” In an interview with German media outlet Deutsche Welle,...