Putin granted Russian citizenship to Italian opera director Del Monaco

Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted Russian citizenship to Italian opera director Giancarlo del Monaco. The corresponding decree of the head of state was posted on the website of the official publication of legal acts on December 20.

"In accordance with paragraph "a" of Article 89 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, I decree: 1. To accept the following persons into the citizenship of the Russian Federation <...> Del Monaco Giancarlo, born December 28, 1943 in Italy," the decree reads.

Giancarlo Del Monaco is an Italian director, general manager of several opera companies and festivals. He has staged more than 100 operas in major theaters around the world, including for the Bolshoi Theater.

On November 10, it was reported that Italian journalist Andrea Lucidi asked Vladimir Putin to grant him Russian citizenship due to persecution in his home country. It is reported that he appealed directly to the Russian president, among other things, because with his intervention the process of obtaining Russian citizenship would be faster.