Pavel Dmitrienko verdict. Pavel Dmitrichenko was sentenced to six years in a maximum security colony. So, what exactly happened that you were called

Pavel Dmitrichenko. Scene from the ballet “Ivan the Terrible” staged by Yuri Grigorovich

The operatic part of the Bolshoi Theater troupe invited dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko (remember, he spent three years in prison on charges of organizing an assassination attempt on the former artistic director of the ballet troupe, Sergei Filin) ​​to head the creative union of BT workers.

Pavel told us about his plans in a new capacity, as well as his views on the current theater, in an exclusive interview.

- So, Pavel, you were elected head of the trade union, if I call the position correctly...

Chairman of the creative trade union of Bolshoi Theater workers.

- A few words - what will be your responsibilities?

This is important for the artists themselves: apparently, it’s overdue internal problems, if they turned to me for help... I am now far from any of their internal problems, but the meeting was two weeks ago, they told me about these problems, and now they need my help from a legal point of view.

Because the theater management, at times, does not comply with its own accepted rules, which were prescribed in the collective agreement. And now there are a lot of problems in the opera troupe. And I'm always open to help, people love me difficult moment supported, and I am also ready to support my colleagues as chairman.

—Did you continue to remain an employee of the Bolshoi Theater all this time? Has this line been interrupted?

Interrupted. A trade union is a different structure, it is independent, and is more of a supervisory body over the employer. As for the theater, I did not return to it for one simple reason: I have not seen such a boorish attitude towards artists for a long time. I promised myself that I would return to the profession only under the leadership of Nikolai Tsiskaridze.

Yes, but you appeared at the Bolshoi in the summer at a concert, in a number from Swan Lake with the part of Prince Siegfried...

The fact that I appeared on this stage can be called a return to the profession. But, I repeat, I will return to the theater only under the leadership of Tsiskaridze, since only he has experience communicating with the team, has excellent taste - who to invite from ballet and opera directors...

Only with him is the flourishing of the Bolshoi Theater possible. This is my opinion.

- So, what exactly happened that you were called?

The rights of artists began to be infringed. I was lying with a fever, I didn’t know it myself, but the artists initiated a meeting, and just yesterday I was informed that I had been elected. And now I am ready to help them.

Trade unions in our country are historically not as strong as, say, in the West. It was always more of a decoration. But will your trade union have real power?

Yes, our trade unions are not at all the same as European ones. But if usually trade unions were headed by people dependent on the employer, then I am precisely an independent person. I have no interests or fears regarding the management of the Bolshoi Theater. Therefore, I will strictly act within the framework of the law, strictly within the framework of the collective agreement, which the employers themselves accepted. There are a lot of shortcomings. I know about them. Now we are compiling statistics and will demand the implementation of legislative acts in the area of ​​labor legislation.

- So what is the nature of the problem?

The main problem is that the workers of the opera group, on the basis of the contract, do not receive additional work that the employer is obliged to provide them. That is, it is easier for the Bolshoi management to invite someone from outside to a contract rather than involve its own employees. And we will ensure that people have jobs. It's no joke: the full-time employees of the opera troupe are sitting without work!

- Does the ballet troupe have the same problem?

I have not yet met with union members, but I think the problem is everywhere. Therefore, in the next two weeks I will meet with the ballet company and discuss their problems with them. In any case, I am ready to defend them. I'll be happy to help.

Remember, the Moscow Art Theater was once divided into Chekhov and Gorky precisely because the troupe was too bloated. Isn't there something like this at the Bolshoi?

No, the Bolshoi troupe is not exaggerated. Moreover, it is written down by the employer himself how much work he is obliged to provide to his employees, and how much he is not obliged to do. And our task is neither to fight nor to build any barricades, but simply to achieve the rule of law. Because in at the moment the collective agreement is violated. This is a violation of the law. We will have a dialogue with...

- ... with General Director Urin?

Yes. Dialogue about his compliance with labor standards. There will be appeals addressed to Urin regarding pressing issues. If management starts a dialogue - hears and admits its violations - then the problem will be quickly resolved.

- What if not?

If not, then a commission will meet, and if we don’t decide through it, we’ll go to court. Why did the guys call me: naturally, people have a fear of their employer. But I have no fear, and never have had it. That's why I became chairman.

- So, in the near future you will recover and hold meetings?

First, we will notify the higher organization - the trade union of cultural workers - that I have been elected. Next, we will notify the employer, that is, General Director Urin, officially (I think he already knows). And then we’ll start working, that’s all...

- And you and Urin? lately did you communicate at all? Is everything okay?

The last time we communicated was last summer, it was normal communication, there were no counters, there were no problems...

- Can you - this is of interest to many - go on stage as a dancer?

Well, last summer I went on stage, then an injury happened - I took a long time to heal my knee. Now the treatment is still in progress, and my profession as a dancer has been put on pause for now. But I didn’t officially finish my career.

- A pause, but temporary?

To this day - yes, temporary.

- How difficult was it to keep yourself in shape at the time of imprisonment and after? Is this theoretically possible?

Theoretically this is impossible. And I couldn’t keep myself in shape. It was difficult to get into this form later. I had enough fortitude. But you can’t fool the body. When this getting into shape happened, of course, there was wild pain in the ligaments and joints. I was on painkillers. But the goal was set, and the goal was achieved.

- But let’s return: according to your forecast, will the problem of the opera troupe be solved?

According to my forecast, any problem can be solved through dialogue. If two people sit down - one intelligent and the other not stupid - they will come to a common decision. They will always find a way out. And if the interlocutor is dominated by some kind of ambition, some kind of significance, a desire to show that you are nobody to me, and I myself can do everything, then, of course, it will be difficult to agree on something.

But I hope that all smart people will find a way out... because when the team is dissatisfied, it can spill over beyond the theater. We will try to solve this internally. Calmly. Quiet. Legally correct.

The last question is in what capacity? Bolshoi Theater abides now? He's on the rise, he's stable, what's wrong with him?

If we take twelve years of my work, I can say briefly: it was better. I have something to compare with. This is without going into details. What I saw over the years of my work at the Bolshoi (meaning opera repertoire, and ballet) - it was better. The fact that now is not the best period of the Bolshoi’s life.

-Have you seen “Nureyev”?

I saw it in fragments. In short: a ballet created out of scandal. Although the guys all worked 100%, they are great, they work like that in any situation, the Bolshoi troupe is considered the best in the whole world. And it will always be like this. And what is the essence of the performance - according to taste and color... some people like a naked man on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, others consider it enchanting art. Some people think that the Bolshoi is a pure classic.

But I believe that the Bolshoi stage is not an experimental stage, these are established canons... the dancer Nuriev himself became famous not for what the directors tried to show, but for his talent. A personal life each of us is our personal life, there is no need to show it on stage.

Probably the most unpleasant story in modern history Russian ballet is continuing - information has appeared that Pavel Dmitrichenko, who in 2013 was sentenced to imprisonment for organizing an attack on Sergei Filin, has returned to the Bolshoi Theater.

True, we are talking, of course, not about joining the Bolshoi troupe, and certainly not about participating in productions, but about morning training with teacher Vladimir Nikonov. Among the Russian media, only the Internet version of Mk.ru paid attention to this fact - the publication quotes the words of one of the soloists of the Bolshoi Theater, who wished to remain anonymous:

“Many, of course, when they saw him for the first time after a long absence, could not hide their surprise. I know that for some time he himself was afraid to come to the theater... Even in the summer before the end of last season, he came to the service entrance several times, met with friends, but I didn’t go into the theater itself because I was worried about how the staff would greet him. And I was pleasantly surprised by the friendly attitude towards him. Maybe only a few people didn’t take it too well... But I don’t even know anyone like that...” .

Here are just a few of them (spelling and punctuation preserved) :

“Dear Pavel, your life, your personality and what you do are extremely inspiring. You begin to believe in your strength and that all bad things will pass, and difficult things will be overcome. And your willpower and character seem to be limitless . With admiration and good luck."

"You went through Hell... and won! Enjoy life, you are Talent!! people are jealous, but there is a Dance next to you wonderful person, true friends --- there can never be too many --- Come to Boston! Let's do -Master classes---performances!"

By the way, this news was much more readily picked up by foreign publications, including such authoritative ones as British The Guardian, American The New York Times and NBC, as well as French Europa Press.

Thus, Reuters quotes the words of a press secretary of the Bolshoi Theater: “Dmitrichenko was indeed issued, at his request, a pass for a morning visit to the Bolshoi Theater... This in no way means that he will work at the Bolshoi Theater in the future.”

General manager Bolshoi Theater Vladimir Urin also spoke on this matter: “There are rumors that Pavel Dmitrichenko is returning to the Bolshoi, and this will be a difficult situation. However, after 3 years in prison, he is no longer the same dancer, physically and emotionally. Therefore, the main question is: can he regain the form that is necessary for a Bolshoi dancer? Big is work, and it should be built on professional principles.”

Pavel Dmitrichenko, 2013

Let us recall that in 2013, Sergei Filin, who then held the position of artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe, was attacked - acid was thrown in the artist’s face. Filin spent some time in the hospital, after which he underwent several operations and underwent long-term rehabilitation; according to various sources, after this incident he was never able to fully restore his vision. In December of the same 2013, the court found Bolshoi Theater artist Pavel Dmitrichenko guilty of assault and sentenced him to six years in prison. However, Dmitrichenko was released on parole in May 2016.

Sergey Filin - among the judges of the GallaDance Showcase Grand Prix in February 2016

Now he is 32 years old, judging by the comments of his colleagues and photographs, Dmitrichenko began to look more massive, the artist himself previously stated that he performed daily physical exercise while in prison. Sergei Filin back in mid-2015 at the Bolshoi Theater. Then Vladimir Urin denied the existence of any dissatisfaction with Sergei Filin, and called “internal factors” as the reasons for the separation.In the same year, Sergei Filin appeared on television as a permanent member of the jury of the show "Dancing with the Stars", and now he is the head of the workshop of young choreographers of the Bolshoi Theater.

photo on the main page: Dmitrichenko’s Facebook page

“Today I’m already dancing, which means I’m in good physical fitness, because without good preparation it is impossible to dance one of the most difficult ballets - “Swan Lake”. What efforts and work it took me to return to the profession is a separate story,” he emphasized.

According to the ballet critic, the Bolshoi needs an artist like Dmitrichenko. “From an artistic and not a moral point of view, the possibility of a return arises only because there are very few performers for the roles he danced. In this sense, the theater really needs him. However, whether he can physically perform these roles should be looked at by practitioners ", noted Gordeeva. Let us remind you that the former soloist is known for his roles Evil genius in "Swan Lake", Spartacus and Ivan the Terrible.

She added that there is nothing extraordinary in Pavel’s training at the theater. The fact is that large theaters with huge halls allow people who are not members of the troupe to attend their classes if they request it. For example, professional dancers who, by chance, find themselves in a foreign city. With Dmitrichenko, of course, the situation is a little different - he is in hometown, but was thrown out of the general flow, she explained.

Collective arrangement

Four years ago, when Dmitrichenko was accused of organizing the assassination attempt on Filin, the Bolshoi team disagreed. More than 300 people then signed a letter in support of their colleague. According to Anna Gordeeva, this is the majority.

The Labor Code offers all Russians a legal way to resolve any labor conflicts ─ contacting a representative organization at their place of work, considering the issue at a commission on labor disputes, and then the court. Quite civilized, but Russia is a special country. The “black” spirit hovers and permeates the consciousness of even people far from crime, influencing their decisions and actions.

In January 2013, a shocking crime occurred in the capital. In the evening, near his house, acid was thrown in the face of the artistic director of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater Sergei Filin. The damage inflicted was not fatal, but the victim received a serious chemical burn to the retina.

The police, who began to unravel the case, had very different versions - from hooliganism to personal revenge on domestic grounds. As it turned out, the culprit was an ordinary industrial conflict. Bolshoi Theater artists are also hired workers, and labor disputes do not escape them. Only in this case did the eccentricity of the participants and the background of creative differences interfere with his decision.

Less than 2 months later, a squad of police arrived at the apartment of the Bolshoi Theater ballet dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko, where they searched and arrested the owner, taking him to a pre-trial detention center. He was accused of organizing a landmark crime.

Pavel Dmitrichenko is a hereditary dancer. His parents worked in the State Academic Ensemble folk dance under the leadership of Igor Moiseev. He absorbed the rules of life and behavior in an artistic environment with his mother’s milk, but, as an adult, he preferred a different way of solving problems in relationships with managers. However, the problems arose not with him, but with him. common-law wife young ballerina Angelina Vorontsova.

Before joining the Bolshoi Theater troupe, Pavel Dmitrichenko went through a completely standard path for a ballet dancer - training at the Moscow Academy of Choreography. He appeared at the Bolshoi Theater in 2002 and became one of the most promising artists. In 2004, Dmitrichenko received a diploma from the International Ballet Competition in Rome. He danced parts in classical ballet performances « Swan Lake", "Romeo and Juliet", "Spartacus". The brightest page of it creative biography became the main role in the play “Ivan the Terrible”, which was resumed after a long break.

Even in his first year at the academy, he married a graduate of the same educational institution Olga Klypina. A successful start to an artistic career invariably evokes the envy of colleagues who did not experience such a bright start. However, evil whispers have always been inherent in the creative environment. Spiteful critics complained about the help that the relatives of his ballerina wife, quite authoritative and influential people at the Bolshoi Theater. In any case, undoubtedly, nature did not deprive Pavel Dmitrichenko of talent and hard work. Not confining himself to one job on stage, the young man tried himself outside the walls of the Bolshoi Theater in business and did not give up his social work.

He traded shares on the stock exchange, organized an online store selling nutritional supplements, special creams and accessories for ballet dancers, and opened a beauty salon. He also worked part-time on the catwalk as a model. Despite his youth, the more experienced theater artists entrusted him with managing the dacha cooperative, in which they had plots, appointing him chairman. Pavel Dmitrichenko has clearly proven himself to be a very active person.

A fateful meeting took place within the walls of the theater, which so dramatically changed his fate. The young ballerina Angelina Vorontsova was accepted into the ballet troupe. First of all, his marriage with Olga Klypina ordered him to live long. Pavel Dmitrichenko and Angelina Vorontsova chose not to officially register their union, but they did not hide their close relationship from anyone.

The ballerina from Voronezh owed her appearance at the Bolshoi Theater to artistic director Sergei Filin, who invited her to Moscow. Soon, Vorontsova’s list of roles in ballet productions reached the unlucky number 13 and stalled. The spirit of competition has always hovered over the Bolshoi Theater, previously leading only to creative conflicts that split artists into warring camps. Angelina Vorontsova was considered a student of Nikolai Tsiskaridze, who at one time was applying for the role of artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe, but the then director of the Bolshoi Theater thought differently. He invited Sergei Filin to the theater and instructed him to do the ballet part.

Tsiskaridze and Filin know each other very well. Previously, they had never been seen to be hostile to each other. At least in public, but the decision of the theater administration led to the fact that supporters and opponents of both grandees of the ballet stage appeared in the troupe. Pavel Dmitrichenko and Angelina Vorontsova ended up in the Tsiskaridze camp.

In 2012, while on tour in Italy, Angelina gave an interview to the British Time magazine. In it she complained about hard life talent within the walls of the Bolshoi Theater is tiny wages, grueling tours, difficult behind-the-scenes struggle with the “primas” for the main roles. Maya Plisetskaya described something similar in her memoirs, recalling life at the Bolshoi Theater in the 50s. Nothing has changed. Time seemed to stand still. Vorontsova had the same conversations at home in the kitchen. Only instead of journalists, Pavel Dmitrichenko listened attentively to her. What prompted him to take decisive action was another refusal by the administration to provide Vorontsova with leading role in the ballet "La Bayadère". Dmitrichenko decided to eliminate the unfair treatment of his friend in a radical way.

His neighbor at the dacha was Yuri Zarutsky, who had previously been convicted. It was he who undertook to eliminate Sergei Filin for a long time, but not forever. As a weapon of retaliation, Zarutsky chose battery electrolyte. For his participation in the action, he asked the ballet dancer for $1,500. He was driven to the meeting place with the victim by his acquaintance Andrei Lipatov, who makes his living as a “cab driver.” Dmitrichenko paid for the driver’s trip with smoking mixtures, for which he borrowed 3,000 rubles from one of his colleagues. It took the investigators no time or effort to quickly unravel the entire chain. The organizer and all participants in the attack were in their hands.

Sentence to Pavel Dmitrichenko

Pavel Dmitrichenko and his accomplices did not bother to agree among themselves about their actions in case of failure. Already at the trial, taught by their lawyers, they tried to change their testimony, but the attempt was unsuccessful. The court did not believe them. Pavel Dmitrichenko did not admit guilt in organizing an attack on Sergei Filin, which resulted in serious harm to his health. According to him, he told his friend a lot about the “lawlessness” being perpetrated by the Bolshoi Bolshoi administration - abuses of granted grants, kickbacks from leading actors and other corrupt acts committed by Filin. Brought up on "concepts", Zarutsky, on his own initiative, proposed to "ban" the presumptuous ballet administrator. Dmitrichenko did not object.

The prosecutor's office asked the court for 9 years in prison for him. The Tagansky District Court issued a verdict ─ 6 years of strict regime. In March 2014, the Moscow City Court “knocked down” former artist ballet 6 months. After his conviction, he was fired from the theater. Pavel Dmitrichenko served his sentence in a colony Ryazan region. In May 2016, he walked out of her gates, being released on parole. It would seem that the story ends here, but...

Pavel Dmitrichenko - latest news

Fate separated all participants in the conflict different sides. Moreover, leaving them a chance to get together again at the Bolshoi Theater. Theater director Vladimir Urin allowed the name of Pavel Dmitrichenko to appear on the list of artists of the troupe only after the standard competitive selection. Former star After his release from ballet, he quickly gained the required shape, working hard at the barre. As a guest artist, he was even given the opportunity to dance on stage once.

Sergei Filin was treated abroad for a long time and underwent a lot of operations. He was unable to fully restore his vision. The administration of the Bolshoi Theater, represented by the new director Vladimir Urin, did not renew his contract. In 2016 he became artistic director Youth program Bolshoi Theater. After the assassination attempt on Filin, ballerina Angelina Vorontsova moved to St. Petersburg in the summer of 2013, where she began rehearsals at the Mikhailovsky Theater. Her career and personal life were quite successful. She is regularly given leading roles. She married conductor Mikhail Tatarinov.

Pavel Dmitrichenko nevertheless turned out to be closest to the Bolshoi Theater of all the participants in the past conflict. This summer, theater artists elected him chairman of their primary trade union organization. This is not his first appearance as the head of the representative body of creative workers of the Bolshoi Theater. While he was in jail in the spring of 2013, colleagues from the ballet troupe also elected him as their trade union leader, giving him a mandate of their trust. Until now, many colleagues consider the charges of organizing the attack to be falsified and Dmitrichenko was innocently convicted.

There really was a conflict between the artists and the administration. The determination of the ballet avenger was highly appreciated by the team. They considered it a reliable way to counteract the actions of management. Then a prison sentence prevented Dmitrichenko from exercising his powers. Today he has been given a chance to truly prove himself in the public arena. Quite a few problems have accumulated. The opera troupe is dissatisfied with the administration's policy of constantly inviting performers from outside, thereby leaving the artists on staff without work and a salary worthy of their talents. Pavel Dmitrichenko is confident that he is able to resolve this conflict. Everyone hopes that this time he will find the method proposed by the Labor Code.

Illustration copyright RIA Novosti Image caption Dmitrichenko was the first performer of the role of Ivan the Terrible after the resumption of the ballet in 2012

The evil genius in Swan Lake, Ivan the Terrible, Spartacus and Abderakhman in Raymond. Before his arrest in the spring of 2013, former Bolshoi Theater soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko was one of the favorite artists of the famous choreographer Yuri Grigorovich.

On January 17, 2013, the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe, Sergei Filin, had acid thrown in his face near his home in the center of Moscow, as a result of which the victim received facial burns, partially lost his sight, and underwent several expensive operations abroad.

Pavel Dmitrichenko and his friend Yuri Zarutsky were charged with causing grievous harm to Filin’s health. Zarutsky, as a perpetrator, received 10 years, Dmitrichenko was sentenced to six years in a maximum security colony for organizing the attack.

According to investigators, Dmitrichenko was dissatisfied with the way Filin distributed roles in the troupe, and therefore he decided to organize an attack on the artistic director. To do this, he hired his dacha neighbor Zarutsky, who was driven to Filin’s house by another person involved in the case, Andrei Lipatov.

At the end of May, Pavel Dmitrichenko gave an interview to the BBC Russian Service. WITH former soloist Bolshoi Theater talked Ekaterina Savina.

Stay healthy

BBC: Pavel, you spent three years in a colony near Ryazan, you were released on parole, but Sergei Filin’s lawyer claims that you were released illegally.

It's sad that the lawyer doesn't know the legal rules. I don’t want to comment on the illiteracy of lawyers.

BBC: How long did you serve in the end?

P.D.: Three years. I want to express my point of view once again - I was put in prison on a fabricated case. I didn’t admit my guilt in court, and I still don’t admit it.

BBC: Did you have any complaints while in prison?

P.D.: For a person who is deprived of his freedom, especially when he understands that it is illegal, it is, of course, difficult to realize this. But I’m not going to cry and say how hard it was. It's not my style.

BBC: What did you do there, what kind of work?

P.D.: What happens there should not spill out. It's not interesting ordinary people. Let others come out and tell horror stories. And I want to forget everything quickly.

BBC: You are a dancer, you have to be in shape all the time. Did you have the opportunity to train there?

P.D.: I kept in shape as best I could. Of course, not with our classic exercises, but with those that were available - weighted squats, exercises with a barbell. This is more of a fitness thing, but I can say that when ballet dancers get injured, in order not to get out of shape, they also continue to practice, but not at the barre, but on the floor. But the main thing in a colony is to maintain health.

Noise and PR

BBC: Did you succeed?

P.D.: Partially yes. Partially.

BBC: How did your cellmates and the colony administration treat you?

P.D.: How to to an ordinary person. Although sometimes it was difficult due to too much attention.

BBC: Which ballet did you miss the most?

P.D.: In general, I love Grigorovich’s ballets. I missed them the most, for me they are my favorites.

BBC: You say your case is fabricated. But how, by whom and in whose interests?

P.D.: I think those people who are still trying to put me back there are shouting in the media that I need to be brought back. Their position is to create noise and promote themselves.

BBC: What was the situation like at the Bolshoi Theater when you were accused of attacking Filin?

P.D.: I can only judge by people’s actions; more than 300 theater employees signed a letter in support of me. And, as I understand it, there was pressure on the artists who supported me. They knew the whole truth of this process.

No known fight

BBC: He didn't do this to himself, did he?

P.D.: What did you do? You know? Or only from the media? I can't say anything with certainty; I haven't met him.

BBC: Do you doubt the diagnosis of the doctors who examined Filin?

P.D.: I judge by facts, I don’t want to discuss his health, I don’t want to discuss him at all, I’m not interested in him. He has already made a lot of insults towards me, I don’t want to be like him.

BBC: Former director of the Bolshoi Theater Anatoly Iksanov, in an interview with Rossiya-24, argued that the motive for the crime could be that the criminal wanted to take Filin’s place.

P.D.: I don’t know who Iksanov meant; he certainly didn’t mean me. The CEO knows very well how managers are appointed. I was 29 years old at that time, and you know, I still have my whole career ahead of me, and becoming an artistic director... I’m not interested in that. Funny and ridiculous.

Let's imagine this situation - I am appointed - who am I? I am a simple artist who has my own point of view, who does not depend on anyone, only on Grigorovich, who let me dance his ballets. Maybe there was some kind of struggle going on at that time, but I don’t know anything about it.

BBC: What kind of relationship did you have with Yuri Zarutsky, who was convicted of committing a crime and received 10 years?

P.D.: None. Absolutely none. Everyone who had dachas in the same area knew him. There are many artists, more than 100 people. He worked in a store. Who among the artists knew him? The one who came shopping knew it.

Was there a motive?

BBC: The media claimed that you complained to him about politics at the Bolshoi Theater.

P.D.: Where did you read this? On Wikipedia? People don't know anything, they don't know the details - only what the other side said. For example, what was my motive? If there is a motive, there is a crime; if there is no motive, there is no crime. Do you know what the motive is?

BBC: There were many and different versions. Including that Filin offended your girlfriend, ballerina Angelina Vorontsova.

P.D.: This is not my girlfriend, this is my friend, Tsiskaridze’s student. This version was not confirmed even in court. I don’t want to say why I was imprisoned. I said it once and left for three years.

BBC: I quote you: “I told Yuri Zarutsky about the policies that are being pursued at the Bolshoi Theater, about the violations that exist there, about corrupt practices.”

P.D.: Zarutsky is no one to tell me this, but he could have heard something. The artists and I discussed a lot of things.

BBC: That is, you were not in the right relationship to give him such instructions?

P.D.: Yes, I’ve seen him nine times in my entire life. And these times are less than a minute. I went into the store, bought it and left. I think he worked there as a security guard. He was not even my neighbor, as they write everywhere. We have a village exclusively for Bolshoi Theater artists in the Stupinsky district.

No evidence

BBC: You claim your innocence and that the case was ordered. Who could want to get rid of you to such an extent?

P.D.: There was a goal, and the investigators forced me to sign a paper that the organizer of the attack was Nikolai Tsiskaridze (Tsiskaridze acted in court as a witness and stated that he did not believe in Dmitrichenko’s guilt - BBC note). I think that without receiving from me necessary information, stopped at me.

Initially, Mr. Filin’s representative released information to the press that Filin was blind and could not see anything. But there is paper, A4 size, on which Filin wrote the statement with his own hand. He accused me, Tsiskaridze and also his assistant. Based on the application, a criminal case is initiated and the process has begun. Things went wrong, they beat me, forcing me to testify.

My lawyers filed a motion trying to understand what substance was doused with Owl. The answer comes: “It is impossible to provide, the liquid has evaporated.” How can material evidence evaporate if, according to the Criminal Procedure Code, evidence must be stored until trial and only then destroyed. The can, the weapon of the crime, was not produced in court. As a result, there is no evidence, only from the words of people who wanted to make this story scary and beautiful.

BBC: But, according to investigators, there is a motive.

P.D.: Initially there was a motive - revenge and hostility. I asked Mr. Investigator: “What is revenge for, what is the reason for hostility?” He thought about it and a week later they brought me another paper. It said that I was dissatisfied with the distribution of roles and salaries for artists and performers. Just so you understand, there are 250 artists in the troupe. It turns out that I approached everyone and asked: “What is your salary? - Ahhhh, I don’t like it.” This is so ridiculous. Because of my actions, people wouldn’t get an increase in their salaries and they wouldn’t dance anymore. The decision is made by the artistic council, a whole commission. Owl alone did not have such powers.

There are no more intrigues

BBC: Nevertheless, in the spring he was almost reassigned...

P.D.: Let's speak in our own words - he was removed and made the head of the youth ballet troupe. And the artistic director was an absolutely wonderful person - Mahar Vaziev. This a huge gift for the Bolshoi Theater, for artists. He led Mariinsky Theater, then went to the La Scala theater. The troupe is happy, they are really making art. There are no intrigues, no scandals.

BBC: What will you do?

P.D.: Continue your creative path, to pursue art, which I have been doing since I was six years old.

BBC: Do you have any offers to join any troupe?

P.D.: A lot, but I still consider the Bolshoi Theater my home, and the director officially said that I can safely return to the Bolshoi Theater. It wasn't official invitation, but I can enroll in general principles. I’m in shape, I have a lot of experience, I worked on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater for 10 years.

BBC: Let's simulate the situation: you return to the Bolshoi or just go there for negotiations and meet Filin. What's your reaction?

P.D.: Ordinary, as always.

BBC: Will you say hello to him?

P.D.: I cultured person, I always say hello. He didn’t interest me, and still doesn’t interest me. It's time to stop. I let go of this situation.