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(Daily Caller) Renowned Russian ballet star Vladimir Shklyarov reportedly died Saturday at the age of 39 after falling from the fifth-story balcony of a building in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Shklyarov was a vocal advocate for ending the war against Ukraine since the initial invasion in 2022, and it remains unclear whether his outspoken stance on Putin’s war could be related to his death. However, many critics of Putin have suffered unexplained early deaths that include mysterious circumstances, according to a 2024 report issued by Newsweek. Shklyarov was the top-ranking dancer at the Mariinsky Theater, according to TMZ.
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Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti reported that authorities have begun an investigation into Shklyarov’s death, but initial findings suggest the famous dancer’s fall was accidental, according to TMZ.
Shklyarov’s died two days prior to a scheduled complex spinal surgery, and local news outlet Fontanka reported that he had been using painkillers for his ailments.
Russian dancer Irina Baranovskaya said Shklyarov “went out onto the balcony to get some air and smoke,” before he lost his balance and fell, according to The Guardian.
The talented dancer was an alumnus of the renowned Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, TMZ reported. His credits included “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “Don Quixote.”
In 2022 Shklyarov spoke out against the war on Ukraine by saying, “I am for the people, for a peaceful sky above our heads,” according to GB News.
“I am against the war in Ukraine,” he said at the time.
“It is impossible to watch everything that is happening today without tears.” (RELATED: Surveillance Video Shows Liam Payne Interacting With Suspect Hours Before His Death: REPORT)
“I want to dance… I want to love everyone – that is the purpose of my life… I do not want wars or borders,” he said.
Shklyarov was wed to Maria Shirinkina, another Mariinsky dancer, and is survived by her and two children.
