Former star of the Royal Ballet, naturalized Russian in 2018, the dancer was replaced last week at the head of the Sevastopol Opera and Ballet Theater.
Ukrainian-Russian ballet dancer Sergei Polounin, former star dancer of the Royal Ballet in London which he left for Vladimir Putin’s Russia, whose portrait he had tattooed on his chest, announced on Wednesday that he was leaving Russia. « Thank you for everything Russia has done for me. The time comes when the soul does not feel where it should be », he wrote on his Instagram account. « My time in Russia is long over, as if I have fulfilled my mission here for now »he said in a long, nebulous message riddled with mistakes to his approximately 219,000 subscribers. « Where we will go is not yet clear, but I only hope that my soul is calm and in its place”added Sergei Polounin. Before concluding: « Now I have to go a long way, another unknown way »
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The 35-year-old dancer, born in southern Ukraine and who has held Russian nationality since 2018, did not clearly explain why he planned to leave Russia. Last summer, he nevertheless claimed that he was being followed and feared for the « security » of his family, in videos published on social networks. And he was replaced last week as head of the Sevastopol Opera and Ballet Theater in Ukraine’s annexed Crimea peninsula, according to state agency Ria Novosti.
Nicknamed the « bad boy of ballet » for his passionate performances and his controversial statements, he suddenly left the British Royal Ballet in 2012 after being promoted to principal dancer. In recent years, he has been especially noted for his unwavering support for Vladimir Putin and the Russian offensive in Ukraine launched in February 2022. He also welcomed Russia’s annexation in 2014 of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula. , where he has since lived and worked. Last August, Sergei Polounin again assured on Instagram that Russia was fighting « the Nazis » in Ukraine, repeating an argument used many times by the Kremlin to justify its attack. In October 2023, the dancer paid tribute to Vladimir Putin on his birthday, calling him a man « the kindest and most talented ».
