The Royal Opera House (ROH) has been urged to drop a Russian soprano who has been described as a “muse of Putin”.

Anna Netrebko is set to perform in Puccini’s Tosca at the Covent Garden venue, but Ukrainian campaigners have raised concerns about her alleged links to the Kremlin.

The singer was branded a “muse of Putin” by campaigners who protested against her appearances in Germany.

An open letter addressed to the ROH states that “it is …with great pain that we witness the Royal Opera House inviting Anna Netrebko – a long-time symbol of cultural propaganda for a regime that is responsible for serious war crimes – to return to its stage in title roles”.