The theater is already full

In Moscow, the ex-director of the Gogol Center Alexei Malobrodsky was detained, Interfax reports with reference to a source familiar with the situation. He held this post from 2013 to 2015.

"Malobrodsky was detained today as part of the criminal investigation of theft in the Gogol Center on the basis of materials received during the investigation," the source said. According to him, the ex-director was called as a witness to the capital's head of the Investigative Committee. “After the interrogation, he became another suspect in the case of theft in the Seventh Studio,” the source noted.

According to the sources of "Medusa", a court meeting was scheduled for the election of a minor prevention measure.

On the morning on Tuesday, the detention of Malobrodsky was confirmed by the press service of the TFR. "On June 19, 2017, the former general producer of ANO" Seventh Studio "Alexei Malobrodsky was detained as a suspect. In the near future, the investigation plans to charge him and petition the court to choose a preventive measure," the report said.

On May 23, searches about the theft in the “Seventh Studio” directed by Kirill Serebrennikov were held at various addresses , including the Gogol Center and the Serebrennikov himself, who was the artistic director of the theater, as well as the director of the youth theater of Sofia Apfelbaum, which in the past was headed by the Department of Lord of Art and Folk Creativity. Later on the same day, Serebrennikov and Apfelbaumwere interrogated in the metropolitan head of the TFR . Serebrennikov is a witness in the case.

According to the plot of the case, the administrators of the Seventh Studio in 2011-2014 stole 200 million rubles from budget funds allocated "for the development and popularization of the art of the Russian Federation."

On May 24, the former general director and chief accountant of the Seventh Studio Yuri Itin and Nina Maslyaeva were detained. Both were charged with part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code (fraud on an especially large scale), which provides for up to 10 years of the colony.

On May 25, the Presnensky district court placed Itina under house arrest , although the investigator of the TFR insisted on him to send him to the pre -trial detention center. Meanwhile, there was no decision in relation to Maslyaeva then - instead, the judge extended the detention period of the defendant for another 72 hours.

On May 27, the Presnensky district court placed Maslyaev in jail until July 19, despite the fact that she pleaded guilty and entered into a pre -trial cooperation agreement with the prosecutor.

In the theater environment, Serebrennikov’s searches caused serious concern. A group of actors and directors signed an appeal in defense of a colleague. After lunch on Tuesday, even before the end of the search in the Gogol Center, the action was held at the Serebrennikov’s support building at the building of this theater.

On May 24, at the ceremony in the Kremlin, actor Yevgeny Mironov handed Vladimir Putin a letter to Serebrennikov’s defense, and also asked if the head of state was known about the director’s search. Putin said he "found out yesterday." "Why? Well, why do this?! You are flying to France on Monday! Why do you need it?!" - asked Mironov. “Yes, fools,” Putin answered.

On June 15, during a direct line, Putin clarified that he had in mind the appearance of riot police fighters during searches in the Gogol Center. “I myself don’t remember what I said when I was transmitted to this letter. I read the letter. But I don’t remember in what context there are fools. It was apparently about the fact that searches and seizure of documents were carried out with power support. I don’t see anything smart here. There is no need to come to the theater or accounting with power support.” The president said.

Putin added that he was not familiar with Serebrennikov, but noted that "there were no restrictions related to his creative activity."