Kristina Orbakaite is a Russian singer, actress, and Honored Artist of Russia (2013). Member of the International Union of Variety Art Workers. Daughter of singer, actress, and People's Artist of the USSR Alla Pugacheva. Born on May 25, 1971, in Moscow.
In October 2016, she was entered into the Myrotvorets database for illegally visiting annexed Crimea.
The position of Kristina Orbakaite regarding the war in Ukraine
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Kristina Orbakaite spoke out against the war, posting a black square on her social media with the caption: «Only Peaceful Skies! No to war!». Later, the singer deleted her post and has not openly stated her position regarding the war in Ukraine.
She continues to work in Russia while living with her family in the United States.
In December 2022, a scandal erupted on the program «Duety» ("Duets") when Kristina Orbakaite and composer Igor Nikolaev took the stage wearing outfits matching the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Some assumed this was a coincidence, while others saw hidden meaning in the attires.
Later it became known that Orbakaite was removed from all New Year's holiday events, including not being invited to "Song of the Year". Most likely, this is related to the anti-war stance of her mother Alla Pugacheva and stepfather Maxim Galkin, who left Russia and condemned Kremlin policy. Orbakaite's son was also caught in the crosshairs — in the fall of 2022, rumors circulated that he was allegedly drafted into the Russian army. The young man refuted this, but hastily left Russia immediately afterward.
On April 29, 2023, Kristina Orbakaite's European tour was scheduled to begin. The final concert of the tour was planned for May 9 in the German city of Ratingen. These concerts had already been repeatedly postponed due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The artist's decision to perform before a German audience on May 9 provoked an extremely negative reaction among Russians. Soon after, the singer issued a statement announcing the tour's cancellation:
My dear spectators in Germany, I have been looking forward to meeting you for three years now. I gladly published the poster for the upcoming concerts, but circumstances arose such that part of my collective has not yet received visas. The organizers are once again forced to reschedule my tour! As soon as new dates are known, I will immediately let you know. With Love and Tenderness to You, Kristina.
The cancellation of the artist's concerts in Russia continues to this day as well. For example, members of the All-Russian Public Organization of Veterans "Boevoe Bratstvo" urged authorities not to hold the singer's concert in their region, noting that she holds citizenship of a country "that is currently opposing Russia and igniting conflicts," lives in the US, and travels to Russia "only to make money."
