Mikhail Durnenkov

The Tverskoy District Court registered administrative cases against the theater critic Marina Davydova and the playwright Mikhail Durnenkov under the article on “discrediting the army”. The human rights project “Roskomsvoboda” drew attention to this.

Marina Davydova, who is also the editor-in-chief of the Theater magazine, opposed Russia’s special operation in Ukraine and published a petition in March. After that, she began to receive threats: ill-wishers called her with curses, painted the letter Z on the door.

Marina Davydova

– Wrote on Facebook * Davydova, who had to leave Russia.

Playwright and theater prize “Golden Mask” winner Mikhail Durnenkov also opposed special operation. In addition, in April, Durnenkov posted on social networks a post in which he wished the Russian army a “complete and crushing defeat” and “strength and courage” to the Ukrainians.

After that, the representative of the Theater Workers Union, Alexander Kalyagin, called for Durnenkov’s expulsion from the union. It was also requested that a lawsuit be filed against the playwright. More than 120 Russian colleagues published an open letter in his defense. Soon the playwright left Russia: now he is working on his own projects in Helsinki (Finland).

Protocols under this article began to be prepared against many cultural and public figures after the start of military special operations. Among them are musician Yuri Shevchuk, actress Kristina Asmus, former mayor of Yekaterinburg Yevgeny Roizman, blogger Nika Belotserkovskaya and more.

*Facebook is owned by Meta, a recognized extremist organization in the Russian Federation.