New "Russian": Pupo found himself at the center of a scandal in Italy after an interview with Izvestia

The interview with Izvestia, which the Italian singer and composer Pupo gave on the eve of his performance in Moscow, provoked a strong reaction from the Italian media. They were outraged by the artist's desire to return to Russia and perform in front of Russian fans. But what hurt the most was that Pupo did not rule out the possibility of applying for citizenship of our country. The editorial board studied the press reaction to the revelations of the legend of the Italian stage, who will perform at the Live Arena on October 4.

What angered the Italian media in an interview with Pupo

The interview of singer and composer Pupo to the Izvestia newspaper on the eve of his Moscow concert caused heated discussions in the Italian media. The publications provided long excerpts and literally disassembled his statements into quotations. In most cases, the media were outraged by such boldness and directness of the artist, and youth and music publications emphasized a friendly position towards the Russian and Italian peoples.

The main reason for the outrage of the European media was the artist's words that the decision of the authorities to ban Italians from traveling to the Russian Federation could encourage them to apply for Russian citizenship. In addition, he admitted that he was not afraid of anything or anyone and could "send" diplomats at an opportunity.

La Repubblica, the largest Italian daily newspaper, put the first thought in the headline. The publication also cites excerpts in which Pupo says that the concert in Moscow will be one of the most important and significant stages of his world tour. It became possible thanks to "brother and friend Yuri Kostin." The artist also considers the decision of the Italian authorities to cancel the performance of conductor Valery Gergiev, which was originally scheduled in Caserta this summer, to be "shameful and unfair." As the singer said, "such an attitude is extremely far from my understanding of everything related to art and cultural exchange between nations."

The nationwide online newspaper Today expressed its bewilderment that Pupo had given a long interview to Izvestia. Separately, she concerns the cancellation of his concerts in Belgium due to performances in Russia.

The publication quotes Dominique Petta, the Italian consul in Liege, who said in March 2024 that Pupo "went to sing to the Kremlin after receiving money from a state that threatens Europe. Which is unacceptable to me."

— The singer commented very sharply on this episode and the phrase: "The cancellation of that concert, as well as the cancellation of the concert in Lithuania and other places, is an unacceptable manifestation of arrogance. Before the cancellations, I was required to make statements in accordance with their diplomatic instructions. I don't take orders from anyone."

According to La Stampa, Pupo does not hide his disagreement with the incident.

Leggo publication headlines the Italian's return to Russia. "Pupo will perform (again) in Moscow," they write. — The concert is dedicated to "the love between Russia and Italy, and he is ready to do anything to get on this stage." He will also celebrate his 70th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his career there."

The media was also hooked by the singer's reflection on the times when Russia came to the rescue of Italy: "Pupo is referring to the operation "From Russia with Love", in which medical teams arrived from Moscow during the COVID-19 pandemic."

According to the singer, the problem is not with Italians: "They appreciate and love Russians, just as Russians love Italians." On the contrary, the obstacle is the risk of adopting a law prohibiting entry into Russia. The music portal IMusicFun also drew attention to these words.

How can an interview affect the Pupo

The secular news portal L'ortica drew attention to Pupo's response about the disrupted tour of conductor Valery Gergiev in Italy. The same topic was picked up by the ANSA news agency, which was closely following the upcoming arrival of the Russian maestro at the Caserta festival. In the summer of 2025, largely due to the publications and hype in the European media, Valery Gergiev's visit was canceled.

"Pupo has always felt at home in Russia, where he continued to perform even after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine," writes ANSA.

The AGI agency claims: "Pupo is returning to Moscow and wants to obtain citizenship. On this occasion, the Italian artist Enzo Ginazzi (real name Pupo. — Editor's note) gave an interview to the newspaper Izvestia, in which he said that on the stage of the Live Arena on October 4, he would also sing the famous Russian patriotic song Kalinka.

The legendary artist's interview continues to be discussed in Italy. And fans are worried about whether Pupo is in trouble and sanctions at home.

Meanwhile, the artist is already in Moscow and is preparing for a solo performance on October 4 at the Live Arena. Izvestia has sent a request to the singer and is waiting for his reaction to the scandal in the Italian press.