Sergei Polunin’s messages about Putin put social networks into a tailspin

World-renowned dancer Sergei Polunin took multiple Instagram posts to lose grace in his native Ukraine, a crash as dramatic as his gravity defying jumps.

Sergei Polunin’s messages about Putin put social networks into a tailspin – all the fun

The star had already earned himself the nickname “bad boy of the ballet” when he shocked the dance world in 2012 by quitting the Royal Ballet amid reports of drug use and violent partying..

In 2015, a YouTube video of Polunin’s dance to Khozier’s song “Take Me to Church” gained more than 25 million views.

He then starred in Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express and alongside Jennifer Lawrence in the Russian spy thriller Red Sparrow..

His praise to Vladimir Putin has sparked anger and mistrust at home, just as tensions with Russia are escalating over the seizure of three Ukrainian ships and their crews..

“I see the light when I see it”.

Since Polunin is no stranger to mistakes, social media reacted cautiously in September when he uploaded a video to Instagram in which he danced in Moscow’s Red Square and declared that he wanted to “unite England, Russia and Ukraine.”.

Some Facebook users have argued that his dedication to art made him little aware of the events taking place at home. “This supposedly innocent act shows how out of touch with reality it is,” said one user..

But another Instagram post on November 20 – his 29th birthday – sparked immediate backlash.

He said that the mass media “in some parts of the world” treated Vladimir Putin unfairly and said: “I see the light when I see it.”.

Some social media users reacted with disbelief, suggesting that his page had been hacked, but most were furious.

“Let the mothers of our soldiers sing an ode to you,” one of them said, referring to the conflict in the Donbassene region of eastern Ukraine, which was partially overrun by Russian-backed insurgents..

Putin tattoo.

Five days later, Polunin went even further, posted a photo of his chest, decorated with Putin’s tattoo, and thanked “Vladimir and everyone who stands for good.”.

The famous Ukrainian website Tabloid noted that it was on this day that Ukraine remembered the millions who died of starvation in the Soviet Holodomor of the 1930s. President Putin often praises the achievements of the Soviet Union.

Most of the online comments in Ukraine were angry, and one social media user suggested that the dancer should have tattooed a “swastika on his back.”.

There were several messages expressing sympathy for the performer. “I am Ukrainian, but I support Serhiy, who is an amazing person and is not afraid of public opinion,” wrote one of them..

The dancer replied the next day: “good should be as aggressive as evil,” after which the Ukrainian TV channel One Plus One published an image of the same tattoo.

Polunin’s next step was the announcement that he had become a citizen of Russia, and

On November 30, he posted a photo of his new passport.

“I am happy to become Russian and take a stand against the evil and unprincipled people who create revolutions and wars in Ukraine, Georgia and many other countries,” he wrote, provoking anger on social networks.

Culture of war.

Polunin can be seen as the latest victim in the “cultural war”, echoing the real conflict between Russia and Ukraine..

As of October, the Ukrainian state cinema agency has banned nearly 800 Russian films and TV series that it says glorify the Soviet military and intelligence services or portray the Soviet Union in a favorable nostalgic light..

More than one hundred Russian performers have also been blacklisted by the Security Service of Ukraine since 2014 as “posing a threat to national security” for a trip to the annexed Crimea or rebel-held areas of Donbass, for public support for President Putin’s policy towards Ukraine.

Ukrainians who continue to perform in Russia as Eurovision participant Ani Lorak or express any sympathy for the annexation of Ukraine are also criticized at home.

Crimean Tatar film director Akhtem Seitablaev called these artists “whores” in an interview with YouTube, and Deputy Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kirilenko warned that they could be presented with special tax bills.

Quite recently, Polunin tried to explain that both countries need each other..

On December 1, he published a photo of his two passports, showing that “Russia and Ukraine will always be together, no matter how hard they try.”.

Prepared by: lordy111 (ILee)