x
Breaking News
More () »

Russian ballerina leaves Bolshoi Ballet over war in Ukraine

Olga Smirnova has been outspoken in her opposition to Putin's war in Ukraine, which she said no longer made it possible for her to stay in Russia.

A world-renowned Bolshoi ballerina is leaving Moscow for Amsterdam in opposition to Putin's invasion of Ukraine. 

Olga Smirnova, who has been an outspoken critic of the war, will be joining the Dutch National Ballet, the theater organization has confirmed. In an update to their website, the national ballet said that Russia's severed ties to the artistic community, as well as Smirnova's risky denouncements of the government, ultimately made it "untenable for her to work in her native country." 

RELATED: Russian Space Agency threatens to leave NASA astronaut aboard ISS amid invasion of Ukraine

"I have followed her career with great interest for many years," said Ted Brandsen, director of the ballet in Amsterdam. "It is a privilege to have her dance with our company in the Netherlands — even if the circumstances that drove this move are incredibly sad."

RELATED: 'I'm not in politics' | Ovechkin calls for 'peace' but does not condemn Putin

Credit: AP
Bolshoi Ballet soloists and Benois de la Danse laureates Olga Smirnova and Semion Chudin perform the Adagio from the Taming of the Shrew, during a Nominees Gala Concert in the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

In an upload to a Telegram channel earlier this month, Smirnova, who is a quarter Ukrainian, wrote that she could no longer "remain indifferent to this global catastrophe," but added that she had been considering a transfer for a while, just that "the current circumstances accelerated this process."  

"I never thought I would be ashamed of Russia, I have always been proud of talented Russian people, of our cultural and athletic achievements," she said. "But now I feel  that a line has been drawn that separates the before and the after." 

RELATED: Russia booted from Eurovision Song Contest over Ukraine invasion

Before You Leave, Check This Out