Top Russian ballet star who slammed Putin's war 'plunged 60ft to death'

Vladimir Shklyarov had starred astatine the Metropolitan Opera successful New York and the Royal Opera House successful London. He fell from his ain flat artifact successful St Petersburg, Russia

One of the world's premier ballet dancers who performed astir the world and was a fierce professional of his country's warfare successful Ukraine, has fallen 60ft to his death.

Vladimir Shklyarov had starred astatine the Metropolitan Opera successful New York and the Royal Opera House successful London, and besides featured regularly successful Munich astatine the invitation of Vladimir Putin's son-in-law Igor Zelensky, 55, antecedently caput of the Bavarian State Ballet, the 2nd hubby of the dictator’s girl Katerina, 38, oregon Ekaterina, a high-kicking rock’n’roll dancer.

A study from a transgression quality bureau claimed Mr Shklyarov had been leaping betwixt 2 balconies connected the 5th level of his residential artifact successful St Petersburg. Other reports from an unconfirmed instrumentality enforcement root accidental helium had been locked successful his flat by his ex-wife ballerina Maria Shirinkina, successful a bid to halt him buying drugs, and was moving distant aft escaping the flat erstwhile helium fell.

The reports said helium was suffering from antecedently unreported and chartless drugs and intoxicant addiction problems, but determination are besides claims that this mentation is malicious and inaccurate. The Mariinsky Theatre successful St Petersburg did not accidental however Mr Shklyarov had died and the Russian Investigative Committee indicated the “preliminary origin of decease was an accident”, according to authorities quality bureau RIA Novosti.

The mates - precocious divorced - had a young lad and daughter. Ballerina Irina Bartnovskaya reported Mr Shklyarov's decease arsenic a “great tragedy”, and pointedly attacked “speculation successful the press”, appearing to contradict the addiction version. She gave a antithetic relationship of his past moments.

She said: "He was connected painkillers and preparing for ft country earlier his death." She added that helium went retired to fume connected “a precise constrictive balcony” and fell 5 stories successful “a stupid, unbearable accident.” She insisted: “He loved life, family, adored his children and his audience.”

It was besides revealed helium had written to his doc soon earlier his death, saying: “We person to operate. I americium not ready, but determination is nary different mode out. I can't basal this pain."

It is known that successful 2022 Mr Shklyarov had issued a almighty critique of Putin’s warfare successful Ukraine. He had posted defiantly: "Friends! I americium against the warfare successful Ukraine! I americium for the people, for a peaceful entity supra our heads. Politicians should beryllium capable to negociate without shooting and sidesplitting civilians, for this they were fixed a lingua and a head.

"My grandfather, Anatoly Filimonovich, graduated from schoolhouse successful Ukraine with a golden medal, my great-grandmother Sonya lived her full beingness successful Kyiv. It is intolerable to ticker everything that is happening contiguous without tears...I privation to dance...I privation to emotion everyone - that is the intent of my life... I bash not privation wars oregon borders. Vladimir Shklyarov.”

It is unclear if his warfare disapproval could beryllium related to his decease though galore Putin critics person suffered unexplained aboriginal deaths.