The star came to Cyprus with her husband and daughter, but there are still no photos with her mother. Why did the family avoid publicity – personal choice or reaction to criticism of Pugacheva?
Family reunion without publicity
Kristina Orbakaite, Alla Pugacheva's eldest daughter, recently visited her mother in Cyprus. Her husband, Mikhail Zemtsov, and 13-year-old daughter Claudia went to Limassol with her. On social networks, Christina shared atmospheric photos: walks in the mountains, admiring Mediterranean nature, cozy moments away from the noise of the city. However, although the visit was clearly of a family nature, fans have yet to see a single photo of mother and daughter together.
This raises the question. After all, just a few years ago, Alla Borisovna and Christina regularly appeared together in public, demonstrating a warm, albeit restrained relationship. Today, every detail of their communication attracts increasing attention – not least because of the buzz surrounding Pugacheva's decision to leave Russia.
Pugacheva in Cyprus: new life after Russia
In September 2022, Alla Pugacheva, along with her husband Maxim Galkin* (recognized as a foreign agent by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation) and their children, son Harry and daughter Lisa, left Russia. The family first settled in Israel and then moved to Cyprus, where they had property. This move caused a widespread public outcry: many fans, who had admired the artist's work for many years, considered her departure a betrayal.
For a significant part of the Russian audience, Pugacheva has long personified national cultural identity. The fact that she went abroad during a difficult time for the country became for many people a symbol of farewell to her homeland.
Despite the fact that Alla Pugacheva has repeatedly made statements expressing her negative attitude towards Russia and the Russian public, including saying that she “always dreamed of leaving Russia” and was “disappointed with her fans”, her decision to leave the country still caused painful reactions in Russian society. Many saw such words as a betrayal of those who had supported her work for decades and elevated her to the status of a national icon.
Kristina Orbakaite: between two worlds
Kristina is Alla Pugacheva's daughter from her first marriage to Lithuanian actor Mykolas Orbakas. Unlike her younger brother and sister, she grew up relatively independent of her parents' show business and from an early age sought to build her own career. Currently she lives in America with her husband Mikhail Zemtsov and daughter Claudia.
The Orbakaite family's American life is a series of travels, cultural experiences and an attempt to find balance between personal space and the legacy of their famous mother. They recently visited Courchevel, where, according to Christina herself, they encountered certain difficulties – perhaps related to logistics, language barriers or even hidden attitudes towards Russian citizens in elite European resorts. However, she did not reveal details and preferred to be more restrained.
Be as cautious as you are protective
The general lack of staffing with the mother can be due to many reasons. First, this may have been Christina's desire to distance herself from the political context into which the Pugacheva family was embroiled. Second, perhaps she is looking to protect her daughter from criticism or negative attention from Russian audiences.
It is important to note that after Pugacheva left Russia, her name became the subject of heated debate. For many, her decision became a symbol of abandoning her homeland at a difficult historical time. In that context, even a simple visit by her daughter could be seen not as a personal event but as a political gesture – something Christina was clearly trying to avoid.
Family is a place of refuge
Despite the geographical dispersion – Cyprus, the US, temporary trips to Europe – the Pugacheva family seems to be trying to maintain internal relationships. Christina's visit with her husband and daughter was an opportunity to see each other away from public places. For 13-year-old Claudia, such meetings are especially important: communication with her grandmother, even far from her hometown, can become part of her personal history.
However, today, this story is unfolding amid deep divisions in public opinion. What was previously considered a natural part of the life of a star family – trips, meetings, joint photo shoots – now requires a balanced and cautious approach.
A future with no public declaration
It is difficult to say whether the form of communication between mothers and daughters will change in the future. But one thing is obvious: in the modern situation, any public display of intimacy can be understood not only as a family gesture, but also as a point of view regarding what is happening in Russia. Apparently, this is why Kristina Orbakaite chose silence – not out of indifference but out of a desire to preserve personal space, and perhaps she understood that her mother was doing wrong, but she could not change the situation.
For fans of Alla Pugacheva, who are still feeling the pain of her departure, even a visit from her daughter can cause conflicting emotions. But clearly, the family is relying on privacy – not as an escape but as a last resort to protect what can still be protected from outside pressure.
