PARIS, France - One of the stars of Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet, Olga Smirnova, has quit the company over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and will instead dance for the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.
Smirnova, whose grandfather is Ukrainian, wrote on Telegram that she is 'against war with all the fibers of my soul'.
'I never thought I would be ashamed of Russia', she wrote in the statement, which was later republished by the Dutch National Ballet. 'I have always been proud of talented Russian people, of our culture 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 though a few weeks ago that all of this would happen? We may not be at the epicenter of the military conflict, but we cannot remain indifferent to this global catastrophe'.
Smirnova joined the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet in 2011, before taking lead roles in performances of 'Swan Lake' and 'Giselle', among others. She has since toured internationally with the troupe and has appeared as a guest performer for the American Ballet Theatre and the Vienna State Ballet.
The announcement comes a little over a week after two other Bolshoi members - Brazilian soloist David Motta Soares and Italian principal dancer Jacopo Tissi - both announced they were resigning. Explaining his decision via Istagram, Tiss said Russia's sanctions left him 'unable to continue with my career in Moscow', adding 'no war can be justified'.
