Vladimir Shkljarov: Putin critic and ballet star falls from balcony

The “” reports the death of an internationally known ballet star. The newspaper refers to the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg, which says goodbye to its star in one. On Saturday, the Opera and Ballet House wrote: “Tonight the audience’s favorite and star of the Mariinsky Theater, Vladimir Shklyarov, tragically died. This is a great loss not only for the theater staff, but for the entire art of ballet today. Our condolences go out to the artist’s family, friends and all the many fans of his work and talent.”

Where and how Shklyarov died is not clear from the report. The Russian news agency “” quotes investigators as saying: “A preliminary investigation was carried out into the circumstances of Shklyarov’s death; the preliminary cause of death was an accident.” It goes on to say that his death was “not of a criminal nature.”

A colleague and friend of Shklyarov, the dancer Irina Bartnowskaya, apparently shares this assessment. On hers she wrote: “In order to avoid unnecessary speculation in the media, I would like to clarify the tragic circumstances of the loss of Vladimir. He was at home preparing for foot surgery and was taking medication. He went – “Probably to get some air – onto the very narrow balcony and lost my balance. A stupid, unbearable accident.”

At the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, “” reported that Vladimir Shklyarov had publicly opposed the war – a taboo among the Russian population. A sudden accidental death combined with a fall from a height of several meters is therefore reminiscent of other questionable “accidents” committed by dissidents. Other media also pick up on this speculation. Bartnowskaya criticized this sharply in another post on Telegram.

In order to limit speculation, she shares the chat history between Shklyarov and his doctor, which supposedly shows that the dancer was under the influence of strong painkillers.