The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation has ordered the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office to review allegations that the singer Valery Meladze funded the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to a law enforcement source cited by TASS.
At present, the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office has been instructed to conduct an audit of Meladze V.Sh. regarding alleged support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the source said.
Appeal to the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation
Earlier, Vitaly Borodin, head of the public organization Federal Security and Anti-Corruption Project, asked the Prosecutor General of Russia, Igor Krasnov, to oversee the case and ensure proper accountability.
Borodin claimed that the artist has repeatedly criticized the Special Military Operation in Ukraine and allegedly voiced a Ukrainian nationalist slogan during a corporate event in the United Arab Emirates. According to the report, during a performance in Dubai, a fan reportedly set down the microphone and the crowd continued with the words “Glory to Ukraine.”
Following the incident, Meladze apologized and expressed a wish for lasting peace between Russians and Ukrainians. The remarks were reviewed by the Investigative Committee and the Attorney General’s Office, which ultimately found no legal violations.
On April 4, Ukrainian journalists observed Meladze at the Courchevel ski resort in France. Video shared by reporters shows them asking for a photo and pressing him for his views on the ongoing conflict. Meladze asked the journalists to switch off their cameras and suggested a private discussion away from the cameras. Reporters continued to question him about his time at the resort, and Meladze’s wife Albina Dzhanabaeva intervened to help him exit the crowd.
Cancellation of concerts in Russia
Later in March, news surfaced that several planned Meladze performances in Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Barnaul, Kemerovo, and Rostov-on-Don were canceled.
The head of Rostov-on-Don’s administration, Alexei Logvinenko, commented that residents in the city do not welcome performances by artists who do not support the special operation. Meladze, 57, holds the title of Honored Artist of Russia since 2006 and is recognized as People’s Artist of the Chechen Republic since 2008.
He has won multiple national awards including three National Russian Ovations, and has also been honored with Song of the Year, Golden Gramophone, Muz-TV, and RU.TV accolades. His younger brother is the composer Konstantin Meladze, who is honored as an Art Worker of Ukraine.
Valery Meladze joined the United Russia party in 2003 and has served on the Krasnogorsk Public Chamber since 2017, contributing to commissions focused on public oversight, openness of power, and anti corruption initiatives. He opposed the start of the SVO in February 2022 and was subsequently added to a blacklist of Russian artists.