Russia mulls labelling queen of Soviet pop Pugacheva a ‘foreign agent’

Musician Alla Pugacheva, who is currently abroad, has criticised the Kremlin for its actions in Ukraine.

Russian prosecutors have asked the justice ministry to consider labelling Alla Pugacheva, the queen of Soviet pop music, as a “foreign agent”, the Reuters news agency reported.

If successful, the move would officially designate Russia’s most famous star as a foe of the Kremlin.

Pugacheva, known across generations for hits such as the 1982 song, Million Scarlet Roses, and the 1978 film, The Woman who Sings, has expressed disgust with the Ukraine war.

In 2022, she said the war was killing soldiers for illusory aims, burdening Russian citizens and turning Russia into a pariah.

Earlier this month, the 74-year-old said that no normal person would return to Russia. She is currently abroad.

Vitaly Borodin, an activist who heads an anticorruption group and who regularly appears on state television, submitted an official request to recognise Pugacheva as a foreign agent.

Then Borodin published a letter from the prosecutor general’s office showing that a request had been made to the justice ministry to consider that, Reuters reported.