Putin problem looms over Royal Opera return of Russia's reigning prima donna

Anna Netrebko says she doesn't support the Kremlin's war in Ukraine, but her Tosca faces a chorus of critics

- Vanessa Thorpe, Nina Kuryata & Lauren Crosby Medlicott

The great Russian soprano Anna Netrebko is one of the major operatic talents of the age. Her name has sold out concert halls around the world. "For 10 years or more she has been the leading prima donna of our time," says George Loomis, the New York opera critic. "Her voice has that Russian quality just to the right degree.

For opera aficionados, perhaps. But Netrebko now finds herself at the centre of a divisive international row because of her former links to Russian president Vladimir Putin. At the peak of her career, aged 50, she disappeared from the stages of Europe following Russia's full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine. The Bavarian State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York terminated agreements with her, while other cancellations were by mutual agreement. Three years on, as nightly Russian bombardments of Ukrainian cities continue, Netrebko is due to return to London to play Tosca at Covent Garden.

It is a drama that rivals the story told in Tosca itself: a repressive state in war-torn Rome destroys the life of the heroine, offering her a terrible choice between life and treachery.

The lead role in Giacomo Puccini's tragic opera is one of the most prestigious for any soprano, especially in a new production at such a renowned venue. But Netrebko's appearance at the Royal Opera House in two weeks' time is prompting a storm of protest.