“My time in Russia has long passed, as if I had fulfilled my mission here at this moment,” wrote Polunin on Instagram. He is leaving despite the fact that, according to him, he received “everything he needed” in Russia. At the same time, Moscow blocked the operation of Instagram in the country shortly after the start of its invasion of Ukraine.
A native of Kherson, Ukraine, he is considered one of the most prominent ballet figures of recent years and is the recipient of several prestigious awards. After studying in Kiev, he moved to Britain at the age of 13 and six years later became the youngest soloist of the Royal Ballet in London. After a few years, he left the British metropolis, while the media wrote about his wild lifestyle, full of parties. He obtained Russian citizenship in 2018.
Thirty-five-year-old Polunin had three tattoos with Putin on his chest and shoulders, and he also has a trident on his right hand – the Ukrainian state symbol. He also helped organize collections for Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
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After the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Polunin’s planned performance in Italy was canceled due to the negative reaction of the audience. During a tour in Uzbekistan, he performed a dance in uniform dedicated to fallen Russian soldiers, for which he earned a reprimand from the Uzbek authorities.
According to the Russian server RBK, the dancer complained in the summer that he was getting unsolicited packages in the mail, and expressed concern that one of them might contain an explosive device. It is not immediately clear whether his departure from Russia is related to these cases.
Polunin also performed several times in the Czech Republic. In May 2017, for example, he danced at the National Theater and two years later he performed five times at Prague’s Karlín Forum.
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