A leading Russian ballet dancer quit the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and is leaving the country for the Netherlands after denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine.

Olga Smirnova will start dancing with the Dutch National Ballet immediately, the company announced on Wednesday.

Smirnova, 30, who had been the Bolshois prima ballerina since 2016 and whose grandfather was Ukrainian, posted an emotional message on the Telegram app, The Guardian reported .

I have to be honest and say that I am against war with all the fibers of my soul, she said, according to a transcript provided by the Dutch National Ballet.