In Novosibirsk, the ex-director of the theater was detained on suspicion of embezzlement

Alexander Kulyabin

In Novosibirsk, the former director of the Krasny Torch Drama Theater was detained, the regional prosecutor's office said.

The detainee is suspected of embezzlement on an especially large scale (part 4 of article 160 of the Criminal Code). The maximum penalty is ten years in prison.

The suspect's home was searched. The issue of choosing a preventive measure against him is being decided. The prosecutor's office did not name the detainee.

The press service of the Krasny Fakel Theater told RBC that the prosecutor’s office “is talking about [former theater director] Alexander Kulyabin.”
“I don’t know about investigative actions in the theater,” the press service of the theater told RBC.

Russia . Novosibirsk. State Academic Drama Theater "Red Torch" (Photo: Vladimir Zinin / TASS)

According to Kommersant, the estimated amount of stolen funds is 1.8 million rubles. An NGS source in law enforcement agencies said that Kulyabin is suspected of making illegal payments to his son, director Timofey Kulyabin.

Alexander Kulyabin headed the Red Torch for 23 years. Last December, the theater announced that he would be stepping down from his position. The theater explained to NGS that the Ministry of Culture of the Novosibirsk Region had decided to fire Kulyabin.

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A few days before Kulyabin's dismissal, the Red Torch canceled several performances by his son Timofey. “For technical reasons, the performances of the productions of Onegin and The Wild Duck are canceled, and the showing of Children of the Sun on the Chamber Stage will also not take place,” the theater reported.

After the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Kulyabin Jr. left Russia and spoke out against the fighting. In April, Krasny Fakel told TASS that he voluntarily left the position of chief director of the theater, which he had held since 2015. In May, the Bolshoi Theater canceled the opera Don Pasquale directed by Kulyabin.

Kulyabin has almost 30 theatrical productions to his credit, most of them at the Red Torch Theater. The director has also worked at the Theater of Nations, the Bolshoi Theatre, as well as at venues in Zurich and Munich. Kulyabin repeatedly received the Golden Mask theater award, and also became the laureate of many international festivals.