The sudden, tragic death of Russian ballet dancer Vladimir Shklyarov

At 39 years old, Russian ballet star Vladimir Shklyarov has died after falling from the fifth floor of a building in Saint Petersburg. The incident happened on Saturday, November 16.

The Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg announced the shocking news. Shklyarov was the principal dancer there.

The preliminary cause of Shklyarov's fall was classified as an accident, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

Nevertheless, Russia's Investigative Committee has launched an investigation into the case, the New York Times reported.

Diana Vishneva (pictured), Shklyarov's colleague and principal dancer at the Mariinsky, said his death was a "tragedy" for the ballet world, CNN reported.

Others hinted at the criticism the ballet dancer had expressed at Vladimir Putin's policies.

When Putin's army invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the ballet star wrote an emotional plea, his colleague Alexei Ratmansky recalls on Facebook. Shklyarov reportedly said: "I am against the war in Ukraine! I am for the people, for a peaceful sky over my head!"

"Politicians should be able to negotiate without shooting and killing civilians," the dancer said. "For that they are given their tongue and head."

Finally, the dancer was quoted as saying: "It is impossible to watch everything that is happening today without tears... I wanna dance... I want to love everyone - that’s the purpose of my life... I do not want wars, no borders."

Media like 'The Daily Beast' make a connection with the deaths of other critics of Vladimir Putin in the past years. "Multiple Vladimir Putin adversaries have died after falling from windows," the news outlet states.

"The term 'Sudden Russian Death Syndrome' was born after many notable Russian figureheads who have spoken out against Putin’s reign died in puzzling ways," according to The Daily Beast. "One of the most common causes of the deaths are window falls."

Former ballerina Irina Bartnovskaya wrote on Telegram that Shklyarov had gone out to smoke on "a very narrow balcony", The New York Times reported. That may have been the reason why he fell five stories in a tragic accident.

A native of Leningrad, Shklyarov performed professionally for over 20 years. During his career, he performed at major theaters around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera House in London.

In addition, Vladimir Shklyarov participated in world-famous productions such as 'Swan Lake', 'Don Quixote' and 'Giselle'.

Throughout his career, the dancer has won several awards, including the prestigious Léonide Massine International Prize in 2008. In 2020, he was declared an Honored Artist of Russia, one of the highest honors granted by the Russian government to art professionals.

Shklyarov was married to Maria Shirinkina, his fellow dancer at the Mariinsky. Together, they had two children, a boy and a girl.

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