A Verdict in The Filin Acid Attack Trial

Not closure, perhaps, but a milestone in the Sergei Filin acid attack saga at the Bolshoi: Earlier today, dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko was convicted of organizing the crime and sentenced to six years in prison. His co-defendant, Yuri Zarutsky, received 10 years after admitting that he was the one who threw sulphuric acid into Filin’s face last January, and Andrei Lipatov was given four years for driving Zarutsky to and from the scene. The trio has also been ordered to pay 3 million rubles ($90,200) in moral damages and 508,000 rubles ($15,300) in material damages.

Filin said during the trial that while his right eye still sees nothing, his left eye can make out light and dark, and he’s hopeful for further improvement. He’s already undergone more than 20 operations to save his vision. The Russian daily Izvestia is reporting that Filin will no longer work for the Bolshoi after his contract expires in 2016. (Former Bolshoi ballerina Galina Stepanenko has been acting artistic director of the company since late January.)

There’s sure to be plenty of commentary about all of this in the days to come—we’ll keep you posted.