Theater Raid Brings About Fear of a Crackdown in Moscow

Fears of a crackdown have been set off in Moscow since a renowned artistic director was brought in for questioning as part of a corruptive investigation this week.

According to The New York Times, police raided the Gogol Center, led by Kirill S. Serebrennikov, on Tuesday. The theater has recently served as a focal point of the artistic reawakening in Moscow. During the raid of the theater, actors who were in the building were instructed to give up their phones and remain there until the search was complete. Serebrennikov's apartment was also raided, and he was released that evening following several hours of questioning.

Investigators said in a statement that several individuals stole $3.5 million in state funds, which from 2011 to 2014 has been given to theatre Production Company Studio Seven, led by Serebrennikov at that time.

Many artists and directors have shown support for Serebrennikov by sending letters to President Putin. Bolshoi Theater's Vladimir G. Urin said, "He is an artist, someone who is not, in my opinion, responsible for the financial sphere."