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Valery Gergiev, head of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres, told Izvestia newspaper that Grigorovich was "a legendary figure who will continue to command respect and admiration for decades to come".

The Mariinsky is a state-run theater in St. Petersburg led by the conductor Valery Gergiev, a close ally of President Vladimir V. Putin.

Some stars, including Gergiev, who also leads the Bolshoi, and the soprano Anna Netrebko, have been shunned in the West because of their ties to Mr. Putin.

The theater joined others in dropping Russian conductor Valery Gergiev from its program because of his failure to distance himself from the invasion.

Gergiev, 70, has been artistic and general director of the Mariinsky since 1996 but now has the daunting task of running Russia's two biggest ballet and opera theatres.