Julia Davis

The recent performance of “Iolanta” at the Met was outshined by the high-spirited protests, accompanying Russian Conductor Valery Gergiev’s and opera singer Anna Netrebko’s performances in the West. Mariinsky theater musicians callously asked protesting Ukrainian artists: “When will you all die already [expletive]?” and exclaimed “Alaska will also be ours!” (play on words for the Russia’s distasteful annexation slogan, “Crimea is ours!”) Undeterred, protesters put on quite a show, inside and outside of the Met. Dressed in colorful costumes, they reenacted Anna Netrebko’s ill-fated donation to the sanctioned separatist leader, Oleg Tsarov. While the protesters’ musical act and a political message was a resounding success, critics lambasted Gergiev’s barely-rehearsed productions. They were also far from impressed with Netrebko’s waning vocal chops. A review of “Iolanta” bemoaned her poor performance: “Maybe it’s sentimentality that’s kept this role in Netrebko’s repertoire, because a...

Putin’s house of cards continues to fall apart, one Joker at a time. The West assumes that the game of strip poker will eventually shame Russia into curtailing its activities, failing to realize that Emperor Putin is a nudist. Like any good Chekist, he is largely devoid of shame or conscience. Russia cannot be understood according to the Western system of values, for it does not seek to be liked, trusted or respected. Putin’s Russia wants only to be feared. The West is likewise incorrect in assuming that the majority of Russians are zombified into supporting aggression against Ukraine. Many of them fully realize that Russian mainstream media is broadcasting blatant lies. They’re willing to reiterate and disseminate deliberately false statements in a misguided belief that in doing so, they’re helping Mother Russia to counter Western propaganda. The Red Cross has made a confidential legal assessment that Ukraine is officially in a war. This determination opens the door to possi...