Russian ballet star's mysterious fall raises questions in St Petersburg
A top Mariinsky Theatre dancer fell from his apartment balcony last weekend. **Vladimir** Shklyarovʼs death comes two years after his public stance against Russian military actions
In a shocking turn-of-events last weekend‚ Vladimir Shklyarov a well-known principal dancer at St Petersburgs Mariinsky Theatre fell from his fifth-floor apartment. The 39-year old artist who gained world-wide recognition for his roles in Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet‚ died around 1am on saturday night
Friends! I am against the war in Ukraine! I want to dance... I want to love everyone – that is the purpose of my life
The federal investigation called his death an accident however the timing raises eye-brows: back in 22ʼ Shklyarov posted anti-war statements on social media. His death follows a pattern of high-profile falls in Russia including:
- Mikhail Rogachev (fell from 10th floor last month)
- Leonid Shulman (Gazprom exec)
- Ravil Maganov (Lukoil chairman)
His partner Irina Bartnovskaya claims he was taking pain-killers before spine surgery and lost balance while smoking. Russian media (which often spreads mis-information) suggests different stories: they say he struggled with addiction and tried jumping between balconies
The Leningrad-born dancer became Mariinskyʼs lead performer about 13 years ago – his performances at Londonʼs Royal Ballet showed his un-usual warmth and supreme athletic skills. His death at almost-40 leaves a big hole in classical ballet‚ whether it was truly accidental or something more sinister remains unclear
