In Ukraine, a ballet soloist could be sent to the Armed Forces over his participation in Swan Lake

Soloist of the National Opera of Ukraine’s ballet troupe Serhii Kryvokon was stripped of his draft exemption (“reservation”) from service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces because he took part in European tour performances of Swan Lake by Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

This was reported by Ukraine’s LB.ua, citing the National Opera.

Ukrainian media said Kryvokon was on the verge of dismissal along with another key ballet soloist of the National Opera of Ukraine, Nataliia Matsak. Representatives of the opera learned from social media that Kryvokon and Matsak were performing together in Swan Lake.

“This caused outrage, because it violates corporate ethics standards and the ensemble’s decision not to participate in productions by Russian authors. In view of the above, Serhii Kryvokon’s reservation was annulled,” the cultural institution уточнила.

Under the new rules for granting draft exemptions for service in the Armed Forces, monitoring of enterprises and organizations for compliance with all criteria will take place monthly.