Show him 'kindness'? Moscow theater slammed after defending famed actor who killed man in drunken crash

16 Jun, 2020 16:10 / Updated 4 years ago

By Jonny Tickle

One week after his deadly drunken Moscow car smash, which left an innocent man dead, the theater associated with actor Mikhail Efremov has issued a statement asking for kindness, rather than “extremes of condemnation.”

In a statement posted on the official website of Moscow’s Sovremennik Theater on Tuesday, the institute explained that its week-long silence was caused by shock and time spent attempting to comprehend the fatal event.

“What happened is a huge tragedy, our shared pain cannot be expressed,” the statement said. “At this incredibly difficult time, we want to ask all of you to remain magnanimous, not to go to extremes of condemnation.”

The statement also offered condolences to the family of Sergey Zakharov, who was killed when Efremov’s Jeep smashed into his Lada. According to reports, at the time of the crash, the actor had a blood-alcohol level of 1.05mg/l – more than three times the legal limit of 0.3mg/l.

The response from the Sovremmenik Theater was attacked by many on social media, and most prominently by television journalist and commentator Vladimir Solovyov, who wrote: “It would be better if they stayed silent.”

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Efremov’s connection to the Sovremmenik is not merely theatrical, but familial. His father, Oleg Efremov, was once the theater’s artistic director, and his son, Nikita Efremov, has also performed on the same stage.

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