Breaking: Bolshoi ballerina defects to the West

I never expected to write another Cold War headline so long as I lived, but this is the new reality.

The Russian prima ballerina Olga Smirnova, a star of the Bolshoi Theatre, today signed on with Dutch National Ballet where she will start rehearsals immediately for Raymonda, debuting in Amsterdam on April 3.

Smirnova has been a vociferous critic of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She says: ‘I have to be honest and say that I am against war with all the fibers of my soul. It is not only about every other Russian perhaps having relatives or friends living in Ukraine, or about my grandfather being Ukrainian and me being quarter Ukrainian. It is that we continue to live as if this were the 20th century, even though we have formally moved to the 21st century. In a modern and enlightened world, I expect civilized societies to resolve political matters only through peaceful negotiations. I never thought I would be ashamed of Russia, I have always been proud of talented Russian people, of our cultural and athletic achievements. But now I feel that a line has been drawn that separates the before and the after. It hurts that people are dying, that people are losing the roofs over their heads or are forced to abandon their homes. And who would have thought a few weeks ago that all of this would happen? We may not be at the epicentre of the military conflict, but we cannot remain indifferent to this global catastrophe.’

On the same day, the Dutch have been joined by Vitor Caixeta, 22, a rising star and soloist of Mariinsky Ballet in St Petersbur. He says: ‘The current circumstances have meant I’ve had to make the hard decision of leaving Russia – the place I’ve called home for almost 5 years, as well as the theatre that has given me such an amazing start to my professional career. I look forward to joining Dutch National Ballet and to continue developing as an artist and a person.’