Bolshoi Theater star Svetlana Zakharova was excluded from a gala performance in Rome on short notice after political pushback

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has condemned the exclusion of celebrated Russian ballerina Svetlana Zakharova from an upcoming dance festival in Rome.

The cancellation came just days ahead of the Bolshoi Theater star’s appearance at the Les Etoiles gala, which brings together leading dancers from the world’s biggest ballet companies.

Venice Biennale, the organizer of the event, said in a statement cited by media that the invitation had been lawful, as Zakharova is not subject to EU sanctions, which were imposed on a number of Russian individuals and firms after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. However, the organizers said they had received “institutional communications” and decided to drop her participation over concerns the event could be “misinterpreted or exploited.”

Days earlier, culture and foreign ministers from several European countries, including Ukraine, had issued a joint statement opposing Russian participation at the event.

Salvini, however, insisted that Italy’s support for Kiev in the conflict against Russia should not extend to canceling artists.

“Art, culture, music, and sport have the mission of bringing peoples and cultures together, not exacerbating ongoing conflicts,” he told RTL radio on Tuesday.

Russia’s ambassador to Italy, Aleksey Paramonov, condemned the move, accusing Italian officials of “pandering” to the Ukrainian government.

“Italy isn’t the only place in the world,” he told La Repubblica on Tuesday. “Prominent figures of Russian culture are… welcome in many other countries – sovereign and free from the dictates of the European Union and the ruling clique in Ukraine.”

The exclusion continues an ongoing pattern of high-profile Russian artists who had events in Europe canceled on short notice.

Earlier this year, Italy’s Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino suspended a performance by Zakharova and her husband, world-renowned violinist Vadim Repin, citing “ongoing international tensions.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned that cancellation, calling it “profoundly uncharacteristic for the Italian spirit,” comparing it to Ukraine’s long-running campaign of purging the Russian culture and language from its education and public life.