Kommersant named Konstantin Ernst as a victim in the case of forgery of works by Ernst Neizvestny. And then I deleted this information

General Director of Channel One Konstantin Ernst is a victim in a criminal case of forgery of works by sculptor and graphic artist Ernst Neizvestny. Kommersant was told about this by two sources on the art market and confirmed by a source at the Tretyakov Gallery.

The fakes were discovered at the exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Ernst the Unknown, which was held in the New Tretyakov Gallery from December 16, 2025 to May 12, 2026, one of Kommersant’s interlocutors said.

“The exhibition of the Unknown on his 100th anniversary was lobbied by Konstantin Lvovich Ernst. He is a very large collector of graphics and [works of nonconformist artists, [which includes Neizvestny]. The Tretyakov Gallery accepted his works as original,” the source said.

The exhibition featured works from museum and private collections. Counterfeits were found only in private ones, Kommersant’s source added. It is unknown who else, besides Konstantin Ernst, is the victim in the case.

Updated . Kommersant removed information from the article that Konstantin Ernst was recognized as a victim. Now the newspaper writes that Ernst is not involved in the case “in any capacity.” Among the victims in the case, Kommersant names the founder of the Vellum gallery, Lyubov Agafonova, the director of the First Names auction house, Rosa Verkhovina, and the executive director of the Prometheus Art Foundation, Vyacheslav Ershov.

• The Investigative Committee reported a criminal case in connection with the forgery of works by Ernst Neizvestny on May 29. The accused is Deputy Chief of Staff of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy, Captain 2nd Rank Maxim Koshkarev. According to investigators, he and his accomplices (they have not yet been identified) forged at least 30 works by Ernst Neizvestny and sold them to private collectors.
• Ernst Neizvestny is one of the key figures of post-war Soviet art. In 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, after seeing his work, called it “degenerate art.” After this, Neizvestny was expelled from the Union of Artists, and he could not work normally. In the 1970s, the sculptor emigrated to the United States, where his art enjoyed great success.