Popular singer Zemfira spotted in Russian player's box at French Open

PARIS : Popular Russian singer Zemfira, who left the country because of her opposition to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, was spotted at the French Open on Sunday sitting in the player's box of her compatriot Daria Kasaktina.

Zemfira was placed on a Russian Justice Ministry list of foreign agents in February on grounds that she supported Ukraine and criticised the invasion, which Russia calls a "special military operation".

An ethnic Volga Tatar born in the central Russian region of Bashkortostan, Zemfira began performing in 1998 and gained popularity in Russia and other ex-Soviet states.

She was known to oppose the conflict with Ukraine and for a time, her website featured the slogan "No to war".

She is reported by numerous websites to have left Russia to settle in France after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.