New Delhi: The ballet world is mourning the death of Vladimir Shklyarov, a renowned Russian dancer and one-time critic of the Ukraine war, who reportedly fell to his death Saturday from the fifth-floor balcony of a St. Petersburg building.
The death of the principal dancer at the world-famous Mariinsky Theatre is the latest in a series of mysterious incidents involving prominent Russians critical of Vladimir Putin.
Russian authorities have ruled the 39-year-old’s death to an accident, state media reported. The reports said that Shklyarov had stepped onto a “very narrow balcony”—60 feet above the ground—to smoke when he lost his balance.
The reports said the dancer had been struggling with severe back, hip and foot pain, and was taking painkillers for his injuries. He was scheduled for a spinal surgery Monday.
An investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding his death.
In March 2022, a Facebook post attributed to Shklyarov had read: “Friends! I am against the war in Ukraine! I am for the people, for a peaceful sky above our heads. Politicians should be able to negotiate without shooting and killing civilians; for this, they were given a tongue and a head.”
However, Reuters reported that Shklyarov had not posted any public dissent on his personal social media. The post in question was apparently uploaded by someone else quoting him.
Not the first mysterious death
Last week, Alexei Zimin, a Russian TV chef and outspoken opponent of the Ukraine war, was found dead in a Belgrade apartment. Serbian authorities have launched an investigation, but no cause of death has been disclosed. Zimin had previously lost his television role due to his anti-war views and is survived by his wife and three young daughters.
In 2022, Ravil Maganov, chairman of Russia’s Lukoil oil giant, fell from a hospital window shortly after the company’s board publicly called for an end to the conflict and expressed sympathy for its victims.
Other mysterious deaths have followed, including those of members of Putin’s inner circle. A 46-year-old politician from Putin’s United Russia party, Vladimir Egorov, apparently fell from a third-floor window in December 2023; a pro-Kremlin newspaper deputy editor, 35-year-old Anna Tsareva, was found dead in her apartment earlier that month; and defence official Marina Yankina also fell from a high window under unclear circumstances in February 2023.
These deaths come amid a broader crackdown on dissent in Russia, which has intensified since the introduction of war censorship laws in March 2022. The laws criminalise criticism of the war, and carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
Even referring to the invasion as a “war” rather than the Kremlin-approved term “special military operation”, is considered a crime, according to Amnesty International.
‘You were my beautiful Romeo’
Shklyarov, celebrated for his performances in Romeo and Juliet and The Nutcracker, was an internationally fêted dancer with an illustrious career spanning two decades.
He began his career at the Mariinsky Theatre in 2003 after graduating from the Academy of Russian Ballet. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a principal dancer in 2011 and earning the title of ‘honoured artist of the Russian Federation’ in 2020. Shklyarov had divorced his wife, ballerina Maria Shirinkina, with whom he has two children.
Dancers and institutions across the globe paid heartfelt tributes to Shklyarov. Diana Vishneva, a fellow Mariinsky dancer, wrote: “This tragedy brings only tears and sadness… You were my beautiful Romeo, my brave prince in Cinderella.”
The Mariinsky Theatre said in a statement: “This is a huge loss not only for the theatre’s staff, but for all of today’s ballet art… Our condolences to the artist’s family, loved ones, friends and all the numerous admirers of his work and talent.”
The American Ballet Theatre, where Shklyarov performed as a guest artist in 2014 and 2015, described him as “an extraordinary artist whose grace and passion inspired audiences worldwide”.
Irina Bartnovskaya, who runs a Telegram channel focused on ballet called ‘The Devil in Ballet Shoes’, wrote Saturday morning: “Volodya (Vladimir) was resting up at home, on painkillers and preparing for an… operation.”
“He went out onto the balcony to get some air and smoke, lost his balance (it’s a very narrow balcony) and fell (from the fifth floor). It was a stupid unbearable accident.”
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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