Bolshoi soloist’s pretrial detention extended in acid attack case
Pavel Dmitrichenko, the Bolshoi dancer imprisoned on suspicion of instigating the acid attack against artistic director Sergei Filin, said he denied planning the assault during an audience in Moscow yesterday.
He told the court that he’d told his ‘accomplice’ Yury Zarutsky, to hit Filin, but nothing more.
I did not imagine that this person [Zarutsky] was capable of such a cruel and inhuman crime.
the RAPSI legal news agency reported Dmitrichenko as saying.
I am happy that Filin is returning to work at the Bolshoi Theatre. The main thing is that he now recovers after the inconceivable crime committed by Zarutsky, with whom I am unfortunately acquainted.
During a court session in June, Zarutsky said,
I didn’t intend to damage his health. I wanted to humiliate him. It was not sulphuric acid but battery fluid, and I added some urine.
Filin is still in Germany, undergoing treatment to recover his eyesight, but has said that he hopes to return to Moscow to resume work when the Bolshoi’s season starts in September.
RIA Novosti reported that the Moscow court extended Dmitrichenko’s pre-trial detention until October 18.
Photo © RIA Novosti. Alexei Nichukin
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
