Russian pop star’s war criticism stirs vigorous debate

By ANDREW KATELL
Associated Press

A Russian mega-pop star’s criticism of President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine has set off intense reactions on social media. It also is posing a critical question: Will her disapproving Instagram post mark a turning point in Russian public opinion? At the risk of being branded a traitor, Russian singer Alla Pugacheva used her famous voice to describe the homeland that gave her its highest civilian honors as “a pariah” and said its soldiers were dying for “illusory goals.” The 73-year-old Pugacheva is the most prominent Russian celebrity to question the war, and her post threatened to undo months of carefully crafted propaganda.