A glamorous ballerina who recently quit the ruling United Russia party accused the Kremlin propaganda mastermind of taking revenge by canceling two of her television appearances.
Anastasia Volochkova, an ex-Bolshoi prima-turned-celebrity, was scheduled to appear in the popular "Let Them Speak" show on the state-owned Channel One, but the show's episode, which was to mark her turning 35, was canceled, she wrote on her blog Friday.
Volochkova said the move was ordered personally by the deputy head of the Office for Presidential Affairs, Vladislav Surkov, the alleged unofficial supervisor of both United Russia and Channel One, the Kremlin's main mouthpiece.
The ballerina, a party member since 2003, announced earlier this month that she was quitting the party, slamming United Russia using numerous expletives in a radio interview.
"I'm shocked. The country has so many problems, and Surkov and United Russia's fat cats sit and look for ways to harm me," Volochkova said.
She said she learned about the canceling during her solo show in Tolyatti and burst into tears on stage after she finished dancing.
An episode of another talk show on the Gazprom-controlled NTV, also featuring Volochkova, was canceled as well, she added.
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