Dancer from Kherson is under EU sanctions for supporting Russia

The EU has imposed sanctions on six Russian public figures for propagandizing and supporting the war against Ukraine. Among them is a ballet dancer from Kherson, Serhiy Polunin, who financed the Russian army and performed in Kremlin propaganda shows.

The EU Council adopted the decision.

On January 29, the European Union imposed personal sanctions against six Russian public figures whom the EU considers to be involved in propaganda and destabilization. The list includes several TV hosts, media professionals, and one artist - ballet dancer Serhiy Polunin, who hails from Kherson. Other defendants in the document, according to the EU, systematically spread disinformation and supported the actions of the Russian authorities.

The EU regulation lists Polunin as a Russian ballet dancer of Ukrainian origin, former rector of the Sevastopol Choreographic Academy, and winner of the Presidential Award for Young Cultural Figures.

After the outbreak of full-scale war, he actively supported the Russian army, transferred funds to the Russian Armed Forces and urged others to do the same. Polunin also participated in Kremlin propaganda shows and blogging platforms, where he justifies the actions of the Russian Federation and spreads the ideas of the so-called "Russian peace" doctrine.

In addition, he criticizes artists who left Russia after the invasion and publicly praises the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. According to the EU Council, such actions contribute to Russian policies that threaten democracy, the rule of law, stability and security in the EU and Ukraine.

The sanctions include a ban on entry to the EU and the freezing of assets in European banks.

At the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the dancer declared his support for the Kremlin dictator by getting a tattoo of his portrait. Later, the artist got another tattoo on his temple - a star of David, causing a wave of outrage even in the international community.

Polunin once studied at the Kyiv Choreographic School and later in London. In 2018, he received Russian citizenship and became the director of the Opera and Ballet Theater in occupied Sevastopol. The artist toured Russia extensively, raising funds for the needs of the Russian army, including drones and thermal imagers. However, in December 2024, Polunin unexpectedly announced his emigration from Russia, saying that he had "fulfilled his mission."

In early March 2025, Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions on a number of Russian actors, singers, and athletes. The list included a former ballet dancer from Kherson, Serhiy Polunin, who supported the Putin regime.

Анна Бальчінос