Putin Supporter Valery Gergiev Appointed Director of Bolshoi Theatre

Gergiev, shunned in the West for his support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now heads both of Russia's pre-eminent opera and ballet houses.

Valery Gergiev, a renowned Russian conductor and supporter of President Putin, has been appointed as the director of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre.
Gergiev, who has been shunned in the West due to his support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, also heads the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg.
He replaces Vladimir Urin, who had been the Bolshoi's general director since 2013 and had signed a petition opposing the war in Ukraine.
Gergiev's appointment expands his influence in Russia's cultural scene, now controlling the country's two pre-eminent opera and ballet houses.
The appointment comes amid a broader backlash against Russian artists and institutions closely aligned with Putin, with many facing cancellations and severed ties in the West.