Russian ballerina Anastasia Volochkova has called for her former manager and director, Maxim Nikolaev, to be sent to fight in Russia's military campaign in Ukraine following a bitter dispute between the pair.
In an emotional post published on the social network Instagram on November 6, 2026, the former Bolshoi Theatre dancer said Nikolaev should be deployed to the zone of what Moscow officially calls its special military operation. She urged Russian military enlistment authorities to pay attention to her former associate because he is of draft age.
Volochkova wrote in the post that she had been fulfilling her professional duty on stages across Russia for 30 years. Using a derogatory term to describe Nikolaev, she added that his place was not in gossip, but in the army and in the special military operation, before asking where the military enlistment office was.
She shared the message on Instagram, which is banned in the Russian Federation. The platform is owned by the American technology company Meta, which Russian authorities have designated as an extremist organisation and prohibited in the country.
Dispute over performance fees
The public outburst comes after Volochkova accused Nikolaev of deceiving her financially during their time working together. In an earlier statement, the ballerina said her former manager had secretly taken a larger share of money for a performance than he was entitled to receive.
Volochkova noted that the alleged financial misconduct happened despite her generosity toward him. She said she had taken Nikolaev to expensive resorts free of charge and had made every effort to build up his self-esteem while he worked for her.
Anastasia Volochkova and Russian enlistment offices
Volochkova is one of Russia's best-known ballet performers and public figures. She rose to prominence as a leading soloist at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the country's flagship state ballet and opera house, before embarking on an independent touring career across Russia.
In Russia, state military enlistment offices, known as voenkomaty, are the government bodies responsible for registering men of eligible age and administering military conscription and mobilisation. Russian authorities and state media officially refer to the military campaign in Ukraine as the special military operation.
