• Italy cancels a concert with Valery Gergiev amid criticism over his ties to Putin.
• The concert was set for July 27 at the Royal Palace of Caserta near Naples.
• Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli stated the decision protects "the values of the free world".

Italian authorities have officially cancelled a concert featuring renowned Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, a supporter of President Vladimir Putin, after receiving significant backlash from politicians and human rights advocates. The performance was scheduled for July 27 at the Royal Palace of Caserta, part of the Un'Estate da RE festival, which attracted criticism amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to Reuters, Al Jazeera, and BBC.

Gergiev, aged 72 and the director of both the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres, has faced exclusion from Western concert venues since refusing to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli characterized the cancellation as a decision based on "common sense" and aimed at upholding "the values of the free world," stressed by Ukraine's strong opposition to Gergiev's performances, according to Reuters, Al Jazeera, and BBC.

The cancellation follows intervention from various quarters, including criticism from Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who hailed the decision as "good news" and a necessary stance against supportive figures of the current Russian regime. She asserted that no artist espousing the Russian dictatorship should be welcomed in Europe, citing the ongoing atrocities in Ukraine, according to Reuters, Al Jazeera, and BBC.

The decision prompted a strong reaction from the Russian ambassador to Italy, labeling the cancellation a "scandalous situation" and part of a broader pattern of "cancelling" Russian culture. This reflects heightened tensions as Western leaders convene to rally support for Ukraine, further illustrating the cultural and political implications at play, according to Reuters, Al Jazeera, and BBC.