The founder and former artistic director of Gogol Centre is charged with embezzling twice as much as it was thought at the beginning of the investigation.
Kirill Serebrennikov. Source: Maxim Shipenkov/European Pressphoto Agency/New York Times
Kirill Serebrennikov has been under investigation since August 22, when he was detained. A court placed him under house arrest before trial. More information about it can be found in our earlier articles. Supporters of the director believe the case is politically motivated in order to punish him for his performances featuring sexually explicit and politically-charged content, artforum.net reports.
According to the New York Times, investigators now say Serebrennikov used his theatre company Studio Seven to embezzle $2.3 million – twice as much as they originally thought. If found guilty, he may be ordered to pay the whole amount to the Russian Ministry of Culture as compensation.
Though the international artistic community showed support for Serebrennikov and repeatedly called on Russia to free him, Vladimir Putin said Serebrennikov can be freed only if the court finds him innocent. During the latest hearing, the director said he and four other people from Gogol Centre and Studio Seven are falsely accused by Nina Maslyaeva, a former chief accountant at Studio Seven. Serebrennikov will be tried in three months.
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