The protests targeted Tchaikovsky's own homosexuality, and the involvement of two Russians in the production; soprano Anna Netrebko and conductor Valery Gergiev, as they were identified as vocal supporters of Putin's government.
Unjuk rasa tersebut menargetkan homoseksualitas Tchaikovsky sendiri, dan keterlibatan dua orang Rusia dalam produksi tersebut; soprano Anna Netrebko dan konduktor Valery Gergiev, karena mereka diidentifikasikan sebagai pendukung vokal pemerintahan Putin.