The Royal Opera House have cancelled a tour from Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet following the crisis in Ukraine.

The Moscow-based ballet company, who were set to return to London this summer, has been called off as Kyiv was hit by air strikes and Russian fighters closed in on Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

It comes as the Kremlin was also stripped of two prestigious events to be held in their country.

The Bolshoi Ballet’s production of Cinderella
The Bolshoi Ballet company’s Cinderella, at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden (Yui Mok/PA)

The Champions League football final in May has been moved to Paris and September’s Formula One’s Russian Grand Prix has been cancelled.

In a statement, the Royal Opera House said: “A summer season of the Bolshoi Ballet at the Royal Opera House had been in the final stages of planning. 

“Unfortunately, under the current circumstances, the season cannot now go ahead.”

Bolshoi ballet celebrates 50 years at Covent Garden
The Bolshoi Ballet rehearsing the first act of The Pharaoh’s Daughter at the Royal Opera House (Fiona Hanson/PA)

The Bolshoi Ballet returned to the Royal Opera House in 2019 with a three-week season of ballets presented by Victor Hochhauser.

They began with Yury Grigorovich’s Spartacus, accompanied by the Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre – who are known as one of the best symphony orchestras in the world.

The Bolshoi Ballet also performed a production of Swan Lake, The Bright Stream and Don Quixote during that time.