Russian police look into death of celebrated ballet dancer Shklyarov after balcony fall

By Andrew Osborn

Investigators in Russia are looking into the death of Vladimir Shklyarov, a principal dancer at the world-famous Mariinsky Ballet in St Petersburg, after he fell from an apartment block balcony and died at the age of 39.

Police in St Petersburg, Russia's second city, say initial information suggests his fall, which was discovered early on Saturday morning, was the result of an accident, state media have reported.

The Mariinsky said in a statement on Monday it would host a farewell ceremony for him on Thursday ahead of his funeral later that day and that members of the public were welcome to pay their respects to someone who was widely respected for his flair in executing the classical Russian ballet repertoire.

"He has forever inscribed his name in the history of world ballet," the Mariinsky said, noting he had been the recipient in 2020 of a top state award for his artistry and taken leading roles in numerous productions.

Shklyarov was famous outside Russia too, having danced at the Royal Ballet in London and at the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich.

Irina Bartnovskaya, who runs a Telegram channel focused on ballet called "The Devil in Ballet Shoes", was one of the first to publicise the death - part of which was captured on CCTV - on Saturday morning.

"Volodya (Vladimir) was resting up at home, on painkillers and preparing for an... operation," she said.

"He went out onto the balcony to get some air and smoke, lost his balance (it's a very narrow balcony) and fell (from the fifth floor). It was a stupid unbearable accident.

"He loved life, his family, and adored his children and his audience."

Shklyarov was variously reported to be suffering from severe back, foot and hip pain.

The father of two young children was reportedly divorced from his ballerina wife Maria Shirinkina, a first soloist at the Mariinsky.

Some Kremlin critics highlighted what they said was a condemnation of the Ukraine war made by Shklyarov in 2022 and posted on Facebook by someone else. However, Shklyarov's own social media feed contains no such post and Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the post made in his name.