Overall though...
I think in the specific situation with Drozd, he has same issues with Katsalapov, and the partnership ended not because she was bad, but because he thought he was a star.
Dunno, for example when V/M skate to MR, you see partners attracted to each other on ice. When you see Drozd skate, you see he is attracted to himself, and his partner is just a sort of a nuisance. At least how i felt about Loboda/Drozd.
Also, what sucks about ID is how conservative and how reputation based it is.
Russian ID kinda failed to change in time, and now will spend next 4+ years with 2 spots for major competitions no matter what they do.
There is something in what You've said here - Virtue/Moir are/were special in terms of partnership on many levels, but what got me the most was the synergy between them and mutual attraction being on the same level as their mutual support while performing. It did not make itself overnight, nor in one-two seasons - it takes time to form a bond between partners that will carry them places, lots of hard work and growing up mentally along with physical development. It also takes a good, nurturing environment that will push them both as an unit, making the partnership work, not making one as a lead who takes all the attention and spotlight just because e.g. he/she is a better technician. Seeing Loboda/Drozd or earlier Yanovskaya/Mozgov I saw two individuals more like dancing with each other than dancing TOGETHER - with Alla and Pavel, the feeling was intensified by packaging unfortunately.
For me, to make things work, it does not necessarily take like two amazing technicians, two 'stars' personalities', two outstanding performers - sometimes (or even often) it takes just a couple of friends, people supporting each other in thick and thin who are willing to work hard together on everything and slowly one brings the best out of the other one and
vice versa.I've always had this feeling about e.g. Weaver/Poje - they were not so good, from technical and presentation points of view, at the very beginning, but somehow they found a space for themselves and just keep growing, developing. But you have to stick together for starters which is the main problem in young, even promising, Russian ID teams.
And about your point concerning conservative/reputational thing in Ice Dance - yes, it is a thing that irks me probably the most in the discipline: when you've got judges' love, you've got it no matter what, developing reputation that carries you through even hard times. And judges tend to set themselves on one particular aesthetic of programs sometimes with very little recognition of other stuff, stuff that is 'off the pack'. Russian Ice Dance has very distinct flair about itself, maybe because all (or majority?) Russian teams are coached by Russians - I've always see a lot of attention paid to technical side of programs in young teams which is a good thing, but somehow with growth, transition to seniors, their packaging often overshadows their technical ability/skills. I may be very naïve, but I think that material should be chosen just more carefully, with respect to both partners, their energy, how they move and express emotions - to give them something appearing 'adult' or 'senior' just by the notion of it with no match between skaters and music/choreography/character is wrong and misleading in my opinion. It all takes a lot of balance to grow up a team that will be successful for a long term - Shibutanis are for me another example of having their share of troubles during their competitive career, having a totally mediocre period after 2011 Worlds bronze medal, finding their feet a season after Sochi Olympics. But as probably
Giselle mentioned above - they stuck together through these hard times and I can imagine how discouraged they were with their right to complain or quit. Russian duos have the example of Bobrova/Soloviev and now also by Stepanova/Bukin - and I'm not talking necessary about material, stuff they've done, but their longevity and brand made for themselves internationally.
