MOSCOW, August 8 (RAPSI) – A Moscow court on Thursday extended until October 18 the pretrial detention of Bolshoi Ballet soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko, accused of having organized an acid attack on the ballet's artistic director, Sergei Filin, the RAPSI legal news service reported from the courtroom.
Filin suffered third-degree burns to his face and eyes on January 17, when unknown assailants attacked him with what is believed to have been concentrated sulfuric acid. Shortly after the attack, a Bolshoi Theater spokesperson confirmed that Filin had received various threats.
Three men were arrested in March in connection with the attack, including Bolshoi Ballet soloist Dmitrichenko, the alleged attacker, Yury Zarutsky, and driver Andrei Lipatov, who reportedly drove Zarutsky to Filin’s apartment building to carry out the attack.
A forensic medical examination in May established that the victim had sustained grave bodily injury, which means that the suspects potentially face up to 12 years in prison.
