Strictly Come Dancing fans have reportedly called for Russian pro dancers Katya Jones and Luba Mushtuk to be axed from this year's series- if they don't speak out against Vladmir Putin's invasion on Ukraine.
Katya and Luba, both 32, are yet to publicly condemn Russia's actions after it was reported their fellow co-stars urged them to speak out.
It is said there is a divide forming in the Strictly cast as Nikita Kuzmin, 24, and Nadiya Bychkova, 32, both hail from Ukraine and have family in the war-ravaged country.
Last week, Nikita, 24, who was born in Kyiv, shared his relief with his followers on Instagram after he revealed he had finally been reunited with his elderly grandmother who fled Ukraine following the globally-condemned invasion by Russian forces.
And while Katya has included a UNICEF link of her Instagram page encouraging her followers to provide aid to Ukraine, The Sun reports some viewers are wanting them to 'roundly condemn Putin' or be pulled from the line-up.
A Strictly fan told the publication: "Unless Katya Jones and Luba Mushtuk roundly condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, they should be let go from performing on Strictly.
"It’s untenable otherwise that they should be allowed to continue."
Mirror Online has contacted Strictly Come Dancing's representative for comment.
It follows reports some of the dancers have told show bosses they don’t want the pair to come back for the next series.
"Tensions are high and there’s a lot of strong feeling about this," a source told The Sun, adding Katya and Luba’s silence over the war has led to a "bad taste" between the dancers.
Meanwhile, former Strictly pro dancer James Jordan, 43, took a savage swipe at the Russian professionals on the show, and slammed them for not speaking out on the atrocities in Ukraine.
"I don’t see many of the Russian dancers I know and have even shared the Strictly dance floor with them [sic] openly speaking out about the war against Ukraine. But [they] are still promoting themselves on social media – very disappointed,” he posted on Twitter.
"They know who they are – not 1 post about it," he added.
The outspoken star then became involved in a bitter clash with Strictly head judge Shirley Ballas, as she urged for unity rather than pointing fingers of blame amid the conflict.
"Dear James, not sure who you follow and who follows you. Many dancers I know have retweeted in support of Ukraine and have felt shame at their own government. Lots of help for their fellow dancers Lots have spoken out and retweeted," she wrote, prompting James to allege she had originally agreed with his sentiments in a previous tweet.
