Singer Sergei Savin, who once claimed to be Alla Pugacheva’s favorite, reacted with outrage when Pugacheva danced to the Ukrainian folk song Oh, there are two oak trees on the mountain at her yacht party. He attributed the moment to a deliberate provocation and mockery, telling aif.ru that the artist had spat on Russians and betrayed their sentiment.
Producer Pavel Rudchenko echoed a similar view on March 5, suggesting that the performance was a test of Russian public reaction. He noted that Ukrainian folk songs remain a hot and timely topic in cultural discourse, while also emphasizing that Ukrainian culture itself cannot be dismissed or ignored.
On the preceding day, a different voice argued that Pugacheva’s actions should be viewed through a broader lens, implying that artists who leave or step back from domestic scenes should be treated as outsiders by default. Pugacheva later commented on colleague Stas Mikhailov’s statements, saying that departing artists might kneel before Russia, and she released a video message asserting that normal people will not return to Russia.
In the video, Pugacheva spoke in a deliberately hoarse voice, a tone some interpreted as senile. She joked that she would kneel before Mikhailov, but age would not permit such a gesture.
Earlier remarks suggested that the market for Katya Lel’s concerts had declined, with some reports claiming a fourfold drop in attendance or revenue. These developments illustrate a volatile moment in the pop scene, where cultural identity, national sentiment, and artistic commerce intersect in the public eye. Attributions indicate these reactions originated from a mix of interviews and social commentary reported by aif.ru and related media outlets, reflecting ongoing debates over national culture and personal expression in the entertainment industry.