The only information currently available to the DIRB on the presence of a Leningrad ballet troupe in Paris in early 1990 is the attached article of 24 February 1990 from the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) which announces the beginning of a two-month guest tour of France. No reports of a defection attempt were found in the sources regularly accessed by an on-line search.

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

The Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS). 24 February 1990. "Leningrad Ballet Troupe Leaves for Paris." (NEXIS)