‘It will lift the spirits’: Kyiv to stage ‘most English of ballets’ after Russian repertoire boycott

Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardee to be performed for first time, replacing classics by Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky after fundraising in London

One of the most English of ballets" will be performed for the first time at the National Opera of Ukraine in Kyiv after a boycott of the classic Russian repertoire, including Swan Lake and the Nutcracker.

Sir Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardee, a celebrated romantic comedy, will be performed to a sell-out audience on Thursday after Ukraine turned away from the works of Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Prokofiev.