Bastrykin orders investigation of Sovremennik productions for insults to veterans

The head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, has ordered an investigation into the productions of the Moscow Sovremennik Theatre for insults to veterans.

As emphasized in the Investigative Committee’s press release, Bastrykin gave this order “in connection with appeals from representatives of the public.”

The negative public reaction is caused by the fact that during one of the theatre’s performances, the actors not only use foul language, but also, in the opinion of a number of people, insult veterans of the Great Patriotic War.

The name of the play that aroused the Investigative Committee's interest was not specified in the agency's press release. TASS notes that the production in question was "First Bread."

• Earlier, the public organization "Officers of Russia"complained about the play "First Bread" to the management of the Sovremennik Theater, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation and the Moscow City Hall.
• "Officers of Russia" stated that veterans were offended by many scenes from the production, including the monologue of the heroine Liya Akhedzhakova. According to the plot, she delivered a monologue with obscene language when she visited the grave of her husband, who died during the war in Afghanistan. Following a complaint from "Officers of Russia", the text of the monologue was edited.