Russian ex-Strictly star Kristina Rihanoff 'doesn't give a sh*t about the war'

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief

Published: February 28 2022 | 01:33

Last updated: March 1 2022 | 01:08

Russian ex-Strictly star Kristina Rihanoff 'doesn't give a sh*t about the war'

Kristina Rihanoff sparks controversy by saying that she has no interest in her birth country's invasion of Ukraine.

Russian dancer Kristina Rihanoff has sparked controversy on social media by saying that she doesn't "give a shit about the war" in Ukraine.

The 44-year-old, who starred on Strictly Come Dancing between 2008 and 2015, was born and raised in Vladivostok but now lives in the UK with her partner Ben Cohen.

Last week Russian president Vladimir Putin stunned the world by ordering a military invasion of Ukraine, putting millions of lives in jeopardy and sparking almost universal condemnation.

Talking about the issue on social media, however, Rihanoff said that she is more concerned about the effects that the coronavirus restrictions of the last two years have had on her businesses.

"I do want to focus on what sort of punishment Boris Johnson will have for destroying my family run business and 1000 of others," she wrote. "Many of my friends LOST businesses because of government lockdowns.

"Don't give a shit about the war but I do about the debt because of NO TRADING for 2yrs."

In another post, she told a Ukrainian journalist: "Why don't you report about everyone who was abused in Ukraine by extreme nationalists for 8 yrs prohibiting families to speak Russian language, terrorising peaceful Russian families which I know many who live in Ukraine."

Rihanoff runs a yoga, fitness and wellness business with Cohen as well as a dance academy.