The head of Russia's renowned Bolshoi Theater has sent a letter to President Vladimir Putin criticizing the treatment of a prominent director who was subjected to searches and questioning in an embezzlement investigation.
Bolshoi General Director Vladimir Urin told reporters on May 24 that the conduct of law-enforcement agencies toward Kirill Serebrennikov was "wrong."
Investigators spent hours searching Serebrennikov's Moscow apartment and the Gogol Center theater, where he is art director, on May 23.
WATCH: Russian Filmmaker Detained After Raid On Home
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Russian Filmmaker Detained After Raid On Home
Serebrennikov was questioned as a witness in what the Investigative Committee said was a case of suspected embezzlement.
In remarks to reporters, Urin said that Serebrennikov "is an artist and, as far as I understand, he had nothing to do with finances."
Urin expressed hope that the investigation will be "objective, based purely on the law, and [conducted] with full respect to a man whose name is known to the world."
Dozens of Russian cultural figures came to Serebrennikov's defense on May 23, signing a statement calling him "an honest, fair, and open person."