Where is ballet soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko now? Pavel Dmitrichenko sentenced to six years in a maximum security colony

My phone and computer were immediately taken away. I couldn't even call anyone. When the search was over, they ordered me to get dressed. I tried to understand the reason for such furious activity and for someone coming to me three months after the incident: “If you think I’m guilty of something, bring charges.” But they persistently repeated that they had orders. So, deprived of contact and without bringing charges, they put me in a car and drove away...

He stayed in the department until late at night. They were not allowed to eat or drink. A multi-hour interrogation began. They immediately began to put pressure on me. I don’t want to remember in what form this happened, but I will say one thing: these were difficult hours. They convinced me to testify against Nikolai Tsiskaridze. But I did not slander my colleague, even to save my own skin.

He was kept in the pre-trial detention center for eleven days. At first I didn't have a lawyer. There was no one to rely on - in fact, I was left to my own devices. I understand that the task was simple: to psychologically break the detainee.

Only on the fifth day was I able to convey a note to relatives and friends: “Don’t believe anything!” I didn’t have the money to hire a lawyer, and neither did my retired parents. So the artists and workers of the Bolshoi Theater raised money.

- How did your parents react to your arrest?

Hard. I was very worried about my loved ones: besides me, my parents have two more daughters. I am the youngest - the only breadwinner in the family. My mother has diabetes, she is a second group disabled person, she shouldn’t worry. But they did great, they held on.

My mother gave birth to me at forty-two, so I am a late child. As a ballet dancer, she was already retired. I was named Pavel in honor of my grandfather, my father’s father, a military pilot. And my great-grandfather on my mother’s side was a priest.

Only two weeks after the arrest were they finally allowed to see their parents. We sat opposite each other, separated by two thick glasses and bars, with telephone handsets in hand. I saw that mom was barely holding back her tears, and dad was barely even trying to smile, although it’s not easy in such conditions. But we joked and encouraged each other as best we could. They tried to hide their excitement. I know that my parents never doubted my innocence for a second. As, indeed, are friends and colleagues.

Thanks to everyone who supported Hard time not only me, but also my parents. Surprisingly, while I was in prison, I made a lot of new friends who wrote me letters. They helped us get through this difficult time.

- What happened in the theater then?

On March 7, two days after my arrest, a meeting was held. The entire troupe was called onto the stage - in addition to the ballet dancers, there were opera and orchestra artists. Representatives of the investigation and Filin’s lawyer attended the meeting. It was said that the case had been solved and Dmitrichenko was guilty. The troupe was indignant: “How can you blame a person, because still going investigation?!"

The purpose of the meeting was clear: to turn everyone against me. But the artists with whom I worked side by side for eleven years knew perfectly well what I really was like. They were difficult to manipulate. My colleagues fought for me, despite the pressure put on them. All the theater artists rallied and presented a united front in my defense. Immediately after the meeting, three hundred colleagues, including Nikolai Tsiskaridze , signed an open letter. It said that there is a presumption of innocence and one cannot accuse a person before trial, much less use the media in a dirty information war.

In May 2016, Dmitrichenko was released from the colony on parole. He did not admit his guilt in the acid attack on Sergei Filin, but called the case fabricated. The version that Pavel took revenge on the artistic director of the ballet for harassing his girlfriend Angelina Vorontsova did not play out in court.

Shortly after his release, in an interview with the BBC, Pavel Dmitrichenko did not rule out the possibility of returning to Grand Theatre.

I have a lot of offers, but I still consider the Bolshoi Theater my home, and Mr. Director officially said that I can safely return to the Bolshoi Theater. This was not an official invitation, but I can apply for general principles. “I’m in shape, I have a lot of experience, I worked on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater for 10 years,” said the dancer.
According to him, he actively supported physical fitness in the colony. And at the end of September, MK reports, Dmitrichenko began classes with teacher Vladimir Nikonov, to whom he attends morning classes at the Bolshoi Theater.

It is impossible to get a permanent pass to the theater without asking general director Vladimir Urin. In a recent interview with British magazine Dancing Times Urin said: “There are rumors that Pavel Dmitrichenko is returning to the Bolshoi, and it 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.”

The troupe reacted rather favorably to Dmitrichenko’s appearance within the theater’s walls. But the pros understand perfectly well how difficult it will be for a dancer to regain their former form. The same Nikolai Tsiskaridze not so long ago expressed great doubts about the happy scenario for Pavel Dmitrichenko. But what if? Pavel has a fighting character. He will return to his profession in any case. The stages of many theaters are open to him. But he's targeting the Bolshoi.

P.S. On September 21, 2015, Angelina Vorontsova married Mikhail Tatarnikov, chief conductor and music director Mikhailovsky Theater. There she is now on staff as a leading ballerina.

Pavel Dmitrichenko was born into a family of dancers - his parents performed in the State Academic Ensemble folk dance; It was at the behest of his parents that Pavel himself took up dancing. Dmitrichenko himself did not have a particular love for dancing as a child, but he indeed demonstrated quite good abilities.

After graduating from the Moscow Academy of Choreography, Pavel entered the Bolshoi Theater troupe. Initially, Dmitrichenko planned to stay at the Bolshoi – and in ballet in general – for at most two years; during these two years, however, Pavel managed to achieve quite impressive results and decided to stay on stage.

Young Dmitrichenko was called an extremely talented and promising dancer; he regularly received leading roles in fairly large and prestigious productions. By 2011, Dmitrichenko became, in fact, the leading soloist of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater.

V Bolshoi Dmitrichenko met the ballerina Angelina Vorontsova. There is no official confirmation of the numerous rumors about the alleged romance between them, however, many of the dancer’s acquaintances are inclined to believe that these rumors still had some basis.

Vorontsova’s career was not as good as Dmitrichenko’s; in 2009, the ballerina’s mentor, Ekaterina Maksimova, died, after which Angelina went “under the wing” of Nikolai Tsiskaridze. Alas, this cooperation did not produce much fruit; some are inclined to believe that Vorontsova could have achieved much more speaking under the supervision of a female teacher. According to one version, it was the relatively low class demonstrated by Angelina in her last performances that became the reason for her conflict with Sergei Filin; another version says that Filin disliked Vorontsova back in 2009, when she refused

I want to join his troupe. One way or another, Vorontsova’s relationship with Filin did not work out somewhat.

Late in the evening of January 17, 2013, Sergei Filin was attacked - an unknown person threw acid in his face. Popular rumor almost immediately made Nikolai Tsiskaridze the main suspect, who often criticized the management of the theater and former head Vorontsova. Soon, however, the investigation established that on the evening of January 17, someone Yuri Zarutsky called Pavel Dmitrichenko from Filin’s house. Zarutsky had already been convicted several times and seemed quite a suitable candidate for carrying out this kind of assassination attempt. Later, the investigation turned its attention to another telephone interlocutor of Zarutsky - a certain Andrei Lipatov.

On the night of March 5-6, Zarutsky, Lipatov and Dmitrichenko were detained. All three confessed immediately; as it turned out, the first

actually carried out the attack, the second acted as its driver. Dmitrichenko admitted that he “ordered” Filin, although he made the reservation that the attack did not go as he planned. The most likely motive is considered to be resentment for Vorontsova being unfairly oppressed - acquaintances described Dmitrichenko as an extremely impulsive, temperamental person and quite capable of something of this kind solely for the sake of revenge alone.

Lawyers argue that Pavel Dmitrichenko has certain chances of avoiding imprisonment - with some effort, his lawyers can reduce the case to a less serious charge; What plays into their hands, first of all, is that the injuries Owl received were far from fatal. Pavel's ballet career, however, is over with almost one hundred percent probability - and no innate abilities will be able to return Dmitrichenko to the stage.

Former Bolshoi Theater soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko, convicted of assault on artistic director of the ballet troupe Sergei Filin, .

This information Dmitrichenko's lawyer confirmed to TASS Sergei Kadyrov. “Pasha has indeed been released on parole, he is already at home in Moscow.”

Dmitrichenko himself wrote on his Facebook page: “Your kind hearts were a beacon of hope on a difficult road. Truth has triumphed over lies."

As a result, Filin underwent 23 operations and partially lost his sight.

Law enforcement agencies quickly managed to get on the trail of the attackers. According to investigators, the organizer of the assassination attempt was Bolshoi Theater ballet soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko. As a performer, the dancer chose his friend, a previously convicted unemployed man. Yuri Zarutsky.

Only the performer remains in prison

The reason for the assassination attempt was Dmitrichenko’s hostility towards Filin, caused by the way the artistic director distributed roles and monetary payments.

The third defendants this case passed Andrey Lipatov, who took on the role of the driver of the attackers.

On December 3, 2013, the Meshchansky Court of Moscow sentenced Pavel Dmitrichenko to six years in a maximum security colony, Yuri Zarutsky to ten years in a maximum security colony, and Andrei Lipatov to four years in a maximum security colony.

In March 2015, Andrei Lipatov was released, who did not apply for parole, having served full term. Now Dmitrichenko has also been released. Thus, only the direct perpetrator, Yuri Zarutsky, is still serving his sentence.

Dmitrichenko intends to return to the stage

During the trial of the attack on Filin, all the “dirty laundry” of Russian ballet came out, in which there is a ruthless confrontation between both individual artists and entire groups.

32-year-old Pavel Dmitrichenko, who before his imprisonment performed leading roles in the plays “Spartacus”, “Carmen Suite”, “Ivan the Terrible” and others, intends to resume his career as a dancer and, possibly, return to the Bolshoi Theater. At the same time, during trial his colleagues expressed doubts that Dmitrichenko would ever be able to return to the stage.

“Pasha’s life was ruined forever - he will never be able to dance again, it cannot be restored,” said the famous ballet artist and choreographer Nikolai Tsiskaridze.

For the attempt on the life of Sergei Filin, he was given significantly less than the prosecution asked for.

On Tuesday, leading soloist of the Bolshoi Theater Pavel Dmitrichenko received six years in a maximum security colony after being found guilty of “inflicting grievous bodily harm by prior conspiracy” on the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater Sergei Filin. The perpetrator of the crime, previously convicted Yuri Zarutsky, received the longest sentence. He was sentenced to 10 years in special regime. The driver Andrei Lipatov, who delivered the repeat offender to the crime scene, received 4 years in a special regime colony.

Pavel Dmitrichenko

It is curious that this verdict came as a pleasant surprise for at least two defendants - Dmitrienko and Lipatov. Let us remind you that earlier the state prosecution asked for more serious terms for them.

For the announcement of the verdict in a case of world significance, a larger crowd of people gathered in the Meshchansky District Court than ever before. Already at front door everyone who wanted to hear the court's decision was met by bailiffs who allowed people into the building in batches. To avoid crowds, journalists writing and filming were separated and seated on different floors. Closer to 12 o'clock in the afternoon, a rumble and trampling of feet spread throughout the court. It was the TV channel operators who ran to the hall to take comfortable seats. After the cameras filmed the defendants, relatives, friends, colleagues of the “main defendant” and writing journalists were able to enter the hall along an improvised corridor from the benches. If Lipatov and Zarutsky stood in a cage, looking at the floor, then Dmitrichenko, seeing familiar faces in the crowd of spectators, tried to greet them all, at least with a smile. (The hands of all the defendants were handcuffed.) However, this smile was forced. No matter how hard Dmitrichenko tried to look cheerful and cheerful, his eyes were extremely sad. The artist’s parents and friends lined up right next to the cage and throughout the entire meeting tried to support him with either a nod or a smile. Some couldn't contain their emotions.

Pasha, we love you,” someone shouted from the crowd.

Then the judge began to read out the case materials. Everyone present in the hall heard once again how Dmitrichenko met Zarutsky, about the unpleasant details of ballet everyday life that began at the Bolshoi Theater with the arrival of Filin, about how Zarutsky proposed to punish Filin so that he would behave more politely with the artists, and also about the terrible details fateful evening - January 17, when the attack took place. At the same time, the judge once again mentioned in the verdict that the crime was planned in advance by a group of people, which more than once caused indignation among Dmitrichenko’s relatives and friends. Let us recall that the leading soloist himself stated that Zarutsky was the first to more than once offer to teach Filin a lesson and in every possible way imposed not only his services, but also friendship.

In turn, Zarutsky not only confirmed this testimony, but also generally stated that after committing the crime he was going to use Dmitrichenko for his own purposes, intimidating him with the fact that they were now “in the same boat.” As for Lipatov, Zarutsky’s driver, according to the defendants, no one informed him at all for what purposes his services were used on January 17. However, the court did not believe everything that was said during the trial. And he was generally critical of the testimony of some witnesses. Closer to the third hour, the judge finally came to the operative part and said that Zarutsky, although he was raising a minor child, had a “particularly dangerous relapse” behind him and therefore was not worthy of leniency. Dmitrichenko, who was previously engaged in “generally useful activities,” deserved mitigation, as did Lipatov, who had no previous convictions and has a dependent minor child. With these words, the judge announced a break.

About 30 minutes later, the verdict resumed. Dmitrichenko, who had previously looked extremely pale and anxious, could not help but smile. The corners of the lips spontaneously rose upward. Moreover, his middle-aged mother, who was present throughout the court, after the verdict, although she looked worried, was not upset at all.

But the lawyers of Dmitrichenko and Lipatov said that they would appeal the verdict. Let us recall that earlier the state prosecution asked for 9 years for Dmitrichenko, and 6 for Lipatov.