‘Call the murderer of our father Dad…?!’ Son of driver killed by famed Russian actor Efremov refuses offer of adoption

The son of Sergei Zakharov, who died after drink-driving stage and screen star Mikhail Efremov plowed into his car in central Moscow, has rejected the star’s offer to adopt the children of the family, calling it an “insult.”

“Honestly, I don’t get it – how do they imagine that would work? Does anyone think it would be possible to call the murderer of our father ‘Dad’?” said son Valery Zakharov through the family’s lawyer, Alexander Dobrovinsky.

He also accused the actor – a household name in Russia – of trying to soften them up before the trial.

On June 8, Efremov drove into the oncoming lane on a busy Moscow street, smashing head-on into another car. Sergei Zakharov, the driver of the vehicle, died later in hospital. He admitted he was driving under the influence of alcohol.

On Thursday, Efremov’s lawyer, Elman Pashayev, announced that the prominent Russian celebrity was willing to “support Zakharov’s children in any way, including providing for them financially for the rest of their lives,” with the possibility of legal adoption.

“My client is ready to do this, not in order to buy them off, but because he is very worried about the current situation,” Pashayev said.

Born into a theatrical dynasty, Efremov is a major star in Russia, winning many awards in a career spanning many decades. In recent years, he’s become known for his criticism of the Russian government and his scandalous personal life. He was honored as a Meritorious Artist by the state during the Yeltsin era – an award that is roughly equivalent to a British MBE or a French Ordre National du Mérite.

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