Bolshoi Ballet of censorship. It was the first time a show has been pulled in such a way since the collapse of the Soviet Union, sparking rumours about the motivation behind it. Today the Bolshoi Ballet remains one of the world's foremost ballet companies, in addition to being one of the largest, with approximately 220 dancers. The word "bolshoi" means "big" or "grand" in Russian. The company operates on a hierarchical system, similar to those used by other leading European ballet companies, with senior dancers ranked as principals, and descending in order of importance through lead soloist, first soloist, soloist and finally,
2014 Russian Grand Prix race to go ahead. In September 2014, the circuit hosted a round of the Russian Touring Car Championship as preparation for the Grand Prix. Following the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014 and amid allegations of Russian involvement in the incident and the Russian military intervention in the country, there were calls from the British Conservative Party for Formula One to abandon the race as part of sanctions placed on the Russian government, as the race was established with financial support from the government. Similar suggestions were made from British and German parliamentarians