Update: Russian artists and the invasion of Ukraine

In Russia, when it was boss of the communist Soviet Union, there lived a Russian dramaturg and librettist, Adrian Piotrovsky. He was a successfully employed artist – one of his achievements was his collaboration on Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. He was also the librettist for the ballet, The Limpid Stream, composed by Dmitri Shostakovich and choreographed by Fyodor Lopukhov. Sadly for him, the government accused the ballet of "balletic falsehood", saying its portrayal of happy peasants mocked socialist ideals, and so Piotrovsky was imprisoned for this supposed crime and eventually executed. That was in 1938.

Dmitri Shostakovich survived the Soviet regime, but lived in terror of his life. So certain was he that he would eventually be taken away and interrogated, if not killed, by the goverment, that he kept a packed suitcase by his front door so he wouldn't disturb his family if he was taken away during the night. 

The Soviet regime collapsed around 1992, but such stories, and myriad others, are still alive in the memories of the Russian people. This is the regime that bred Putin. So it is not surprising that many Russian artists now are not willing to speak out openly and condemn the current war. The public tends to uphold famous artists as spokespeople for truth and integrity, but for the same reason artists are held in greater scrutiny by the authorities. Who can blame them for keeping their thoughts to themselves?

Already, Putin has made it punishable by up to 15 years in prison for a person to simply call the conflict a war, including journalists. Thousands of civilians have already been imprisoned for protesting in the streets. This makes any comment by a Russian against the invasion of Ukraine a brave move. The Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, however, posted on her facebook page that she is "opposed to this war" but that "forcing artists, or any public figure, to voice their political opinions in public and to denounce their homeland is not right”.

Yet many Russian artists are taking to social media, and if they are not posting opinions against the invasion, they are crying for peace. Many Russians' lives are intertwined with Ukraine; many have Ukrainian blood. Vladimir Shklyarov, principal artist of the Maryinsky in St Petersburg, had this to say: "I am against any warfare! . . . I want neither wars nor borders."

Australians in Russia are being urged by the Australian Government to leave the country. The crisis has forced dancers to abandon the dream they strove all their lives to achieve - a career with great Russian ballet companies. Others are leaving in despair, such as UK dancer Xander Parish.

Will they ever return? That is for the future to say.