Volochkova calls on military commissariats to send ex-director Nikolaev to the front due to personal conflict

Appeal to military commissariats

Russian ballerina Anastasia Volochkova published a post on Instagram in which she called on representatives of the military commissariat to "pay attention" to her former director, Maxim Nikolaev. The dancer expressed her desire for the man to be sent to fight in Ukraine, where, according to media reports, he has relatives. In her appeal, Volochkova mentioned that she has been fulfilling her professional duty on Russian stages for 30 years, contrasting this with the situation involving her former employee.

«Я виконую свій професійний обов’язок на сценах Росії вже 30 років. Щодо цього пришелепуватого Максима – його місце не в плітках, а в армії та на "СВО"! Де військовий комісаріат? У нього призовний вік. Зверніть увагу!», – написала балерина. (I have been fulfilling my professional duty on the stages of Russia for 30 years. As for this clingy Maxim – his place is not in gossip, but in the army and in the "SVO"! Where is the military commissariat? He is of conscription age. Pay attention!)

Meanwhile, Russian media noted that there is a legal nuance in the statement: officially, in the Russian Federation, the conscription age for military service is from 18 to 30 years, whereas Maxim Nikolaev is already 33 years old.

Reasons for the conflict

According to Volochkova, this decision was a reaction to an alleged betrayal by her former employee. The ballerina claims that she hired Nikolaev out of pity, trusted him as a friend, and even took him on a holiday to the Maldives at her own expense. However, in her opinion, he "stabbed her in the back".

«Я передала кермо влади людині, яку вважала другом. Він взяв у організатора мого концерту в Краснодарі більше грошей, ніж було домовлено, хоча мені гонорар навіть не виплатили! Я тебе на Мальдіви відвезла безкоштовно? Відвезла. Ти там селфі робив, хвалився. Як тобі не соромно?», – скаржилася танцівниця. (I handed over the reins of power to a person I considered a friend. He took more money from the organiser of my concert in Krasnodar than was agreed, even though my fee was not even paid! Did I take you to the Maldives for free? I did. You were taking selfies there, bragging. How can you not be ashamed?)

Volochkova also accused Nikolaev of disrupting the logistics of her performance: he did not provide the organisers' contacts and did not inform her of details regarding transfers and accommodation. An additional reason for the break, according to her, was the director's interference in family matters.

Response from the former director

Maxim Nikolaev did not admit to any accusations and responded publicly. He characterised Volochkova as an unstable personality who often changes plans regarding tours and work.

«Анастасія Волочкова нестабільна. Сьогодні вона летить до Краснодара, а завтра – ні. Сьогодні ми працюємо, а завтра – ні. Моя помилка в тому, що я не підписав з нею жодних документів – усе будувалося на дружніх засадах. Грошей я взяв рівно стільки ж, скільки й минулого разу», – заявив Ніколаєв. (Anastasia Volochkova is unstable. Today she is flying to Krasnodar, and tomorrow – no. Today we are working, and tomorrow – no. My mistake was that I did not sign any documents with her – everything was built on friendly terms. I took exactly the same amount of money as last time)

Ballerina's relatives in Ukraine

Despite her public patriotic statements in support of Vladimir Putin, Anastasia Volochkova avoids mentioning her relatives who live in Ukraine. Her uncle, Anatoliy Volochkov, lives with his wife in one of the frontline villages in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. During Russian shelling, the couple has to hide in an old shed and eat what they grow on their own plot.

Anatoliy Volochkov has said that he does not communicate with either his brother in Saint Petersburg or his niece. He last saw Anastasia Volochkova in 2004 at her concert, but at the time he was unable to approach her due to security and the presence of a personal car.

The ballerina herself mentioned as early as 2012 that most of her paternal relatives live in Zaporizhzhia, including her grandparents, but did not mention her uncle.

Information about the ex-boyfriend

In 2022, it emerged that Anastasia Volochkova's then-partner, Serhiy Kuznetsov, was wanted in Ukraine for a terrorist act involving the use of weapons. In 2014, Kuznetsov, who identified himself as a "DNR" fighter, led a movement in Zaporizhzhia that spread pro-Russian narratives.

He later ended up behind bars in Russia. Kuznetsov faced 8 to 10 years of imprisonment for seriously beating his wife. According to reports, his fate turned tragic: he allegedly took his own life in a pre-trial detention centre cell.