Russian Megastars Alla Pugacheva, Maxim Galkin Flee To Israel

Pop star Alla Pugacheva's departure for Israel with her TV host husband Maxim Galkin reveals the breakdown at the top of Russia's entertainment industry since the invasion of Ukraine, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

Photo Insert: Pugacheva and Galkin – whose mother is Jewish – are refusing to be interviewed, and it's not clear how long they plan to stay in Israel.

Alla Pugacheva, Russia's leading pop diva since the '70s, is so famous that in the Russian-speaking world she's simply known by her first name. A concert in the 72-year-old's honor a few years ago sufficed with the moniker “Our Alla.”

Pugachev's biggest hits like “Millions of Scarlet Roses” and “Love Like a Dream” are known by heart by grandmothers and their grandchildren alike. The romantic comedy “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath” was a fixture in Soviet New Year’s Eve celebrations, buoyed by its soundtrack packed with Pugacheva hits.

And now, one month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, two sources have told Haaretz that Pugacheva is in Israel with her family. At the beginning of March, the Russian media began reporting that the singer and her husband – comedian, impressionist and super-popular TV host Maxim Galkin – had left Russia for Israel.

Their children, Liza and Garry – 9-year-old twins born to a surrogate mother – are here with them, the media reported. "We lived in a devilish mirage. Did you notice how the air is purified?"

Pugacheva and Galkin – whose mother is Jewish – are refusing to be interviewed, and it's not clear how long they plan to stay in Israel. But the 45-year-old Galkin has six performances scheduled around the country in June – from the Haifa area in the north to Be’er Sheva in the south.

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