Alayna

The Times of London is saying that Sergei Filin now has only 5% vision and that there are now fears he may not be able to return to his job. I could only read the preview since I don't have a subscription but here's the link in case anyone here does subscribe and is able to read the entire article. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/stage/dance/article3795397.ece It's certainly a heartbreaking turn of events, especially considering how optimistic his doctors were in the beginning about him regaining enough vision to go back to work and lead a normal life.

http://www.itar-tass.com/c9/777355.html This linked article is in Russian but I used the Google translator to read it. It says that the doctors who treated Filin in Moscow have come forward to deny the allegations that his injuries have been faked or exaggerated.

I guess not. And how would these notebooks be relevant to the case anyway? I don't care what Dmitrichenko thinks he can prove, nothing justifies the attack on Sergei Filin.

In one of her latest blogs, Ismene Brown writes that Dmitrichenko is claiming to have notebooks that contain evidence against Filin but he won't reveal what that is until his trial. http://www.ismeneb.com/Blog/Entries/2013/6/14_Dmitrichenko_promises_to_reveal_all_in_court.html I'm confused - I thought Dmitrichenko was the one on trial, not Sergei Filin.

Those photos of Filin's face accompanied an article that gave a detailed description of how his burns were treated to explain why his skin looked as good as it did when he was released from the hospital in Moscow. But for people who are so determined to believe Filin is faking his injuries I don't think any amount of evidence would ever be enough. If he had appeared right in front of their faces with his burns they would probably still claim the burns weren't real but special effects makeup. As for any further damage his condition suffered from an infection he contracted in the hospital not being his alleged attackers' fault - he wouldn't have been in the hospital in the first place if he hadn't been attacked.

I saw the TV program online and it looked more like a typical piece of tabloid TV trash than investigative journalism. And with the way Sergei Filin and his family have continued to be attacked by some of Dmitrichenko's supporters I don't blame his father-in-law for being outraged and upset.

Here's another article that shows photos of the extent of Filin's burns and what was done to heal his skin. I think it's ironic that because they were able to do such an amazing job restoring his face people have been questioning the severity of his injuries. http://lifenews.ru/news/113186 While I'm glad they were able to save him from disfigurement, I wish they could be as successful in restoring at least some of his vision.

From what I can tell with the somewhat dubious aid of Google translation, if it's decided that Filin's injuries aren't serious enough there will a lesser sentence for Dmitrichenko and his cohorts - assuming they're even convicted in the first place. Apparently in Russia throwing acid in someone's face isn't enough of a serious crime to merit a stiff jail sentence if the victim isn't considered to have suffered enough harm. http://izvestia.ru/news/549367

This is such a shocking (at least to me) change from the optimistic tone of Filin's previous health updates. From what his lawyer has said it sounds like his condition has changed for the worse and he's now completely blind. I wish one of his doctors would give an interview or at least issue some kind of statement as to what is going on with Sergei's health.

Here's a link to an interview in Izvestia with Filin's lawyer. From what I can tell from the Google translation, the news she gives about his sight is very discouraging. She says that right now he can't see out of either eye. That's very upsetting if it's true and also confusing, since in previous reports his doctors have said that he has some vision in his left eye and that they were hopeful that enough vision could be restored for him to live a normal life. http://izvestia.ru/news/548951

In addition to being able to immediately flush his face with water after the attack, Filin has also had the benefit of the latest burn therapies to aid in healing his skin. I posted the link a few posts ago but I'll post it again: http://indrus.in/eco...gion3335.html I'm surprised the story I linked above hasn't been more widely reported. It might help answer questions of why Filin's face looks as good as it does after being splashed with sulphuric acid. Instead the press continues to describe him as "disfigured" when it's obvious from looking at him that he's not. And I believe that Tsiskaridze was also claiming the Filin has had twelve surgeries on his face, when it's his EYES that have been operated on that many times. And last I heard the total of surgeries was up to thirteen, with at least two more planned on his right eye. His doctors have been quoted numerous times saying that the worst damage was to his eyes, not to his face.

I think they deserve a Nobel Prize.

Here's a link to an interesting article. Maybe this will silence some of those self-appointed burn experts claiming that Sergei Filin couldn't have been attacked with acid because his face doesn't look as bad as they think it should. http://indrus.in/economics/2013/03/29/artificial.skin.pioneered_by_researchers_in_the_moscow_region_23335.html

"BTW if you subscribe to Facebook, "like" Odette's Ordeal. The administrator has a gorgeous photo of Sergei Filin today, no shirt, no trousers, no smalls, and the photo cuts off just in the right place on the bottom to make it FB-policy-compliant." Wow. Wish there was a "love" button I could click on for that photo.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/russian-auditors-launch-check-into-bolshois-finances-amid-claims-of-mismanagement/2013/03/21/450553d0-922f-11e2-9173-7f87cda73b49_story.html It will interesting to see how this turns out. I agree with Elena that the ongoing smear campaign against Filin leaves a bad taste. Since his main accusers seem to be one man who's been aggressively campaigning for Filin's job and another who's a friend and supporter of that man, it's hard to know what or whom to believe. I don't think of Filin as perfect or a plaster saint, but I'm hoping that no evidence of any wrongdoing by him is found. He said in his most recent interview that's he's not afraid because he's done nothing wrong, so unless it's proven otherwise I choose to believe him.

"How can he go back to such an environment to work when it seems he is being undermined more and more as the days go on?" That's what I've been thinking. Going by what's being reported in the press, it looks like he doesn't have much in the way of support. The only people we've been hearing from seem to be Tsiskaridze and Dmitrichenko supporters. If Filin does have supporters at the Bolshoi, I think it's time for them to speak up in his defense. Although the fact that he even needs to be defended when he's the victim is really outrageous.

"So now Filin's directorship is to blame for the acid attack. Next thing you know the Bolshoi artists will accuse Filin of splashing acid on Dmitrichenko." Well, why not? According to Tsiskaridze, they're already questioning the seriousness of Filin's injuries and insinuating he faked the attack. What I'd like to know is, why do they find it easier to believe that the acid attack was a hoax that all of these doctors in Moscow and Germany are a part of than that Dmitrichenko could be guilty of ordering the attack? Why do they demand proof of Filin's injuries but need no evidence to support their belief that Dmitrichenko only confessed because he was beaten and coerced by the police?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=174833684 It looks like with the help of powerful supporters in high places that Tsiskaridze may be gaining the upper hand. If he does succeed in replacing Iksanov as director of the Bolshoi then I don't see how Sergei Filin will be able to return to his post as artistic director.

This is a link to an article on a Russian website. I did a Google translation but it's not hard to understand the gist of it. I thought it was interesting that the writer raised doubts about the 300 signatures supposedly supporting Dmitrichenko and how Tsiskaridze was vague when asked about them. Nice to know that not everyone in Russia is drinking his Kool Aid. http://informacia.ru/elita/5/3348-2384.html

Nikolay Tsiskaridze is a disgusting excuse for a human being. It's not enough for him that Sergei Filin is a victim of a horrific physical attack from which he will never fully recover from, he has to continue to attack him in the press and smear his good name as well? Does he think all of these doctors are in on some kind of conspiracy? Does he think Sergei is faking his blindness? If his attacker had in fact succeeded in ruining Sergei's face and completely blinding him the way he intended, would Tsiskaridze then be satisfied? As for the whole troupe questioning the extent of Sergei Filin's injuries - I'm skeptical about that. Maybe Tsiskaridze's own circle of groupies, but the whole troupe? Because if everyone feels that way, then what the hell is Sergei coming back to? I think he's paid way too high a price for working at the Bolshoi. I know he loves the Bolshoi and I admire his courage and determination to come back, but I don't think any job position is worth what he's now going through.

These latest reports about all the layers of his skin being destroyed and the anticipation of severe scarring contradict the encouraging reports about the condition of his skin at the hospital in Moscow. From what I understood after a couple of skin grafts it was decided that his skin was doing well enough that it should be able to heal on its own. So I'm a bit confused with these latest statements - especially the part about the anticipation of MORE scarring. Does that mean they expect his scarring to get even worse? But I agree the main concern is his eyesight. I wonder if he'll eventually be able to see well enough not only to return to work, but also to be able to do normal things like read a book, watch a movie, drive a car and play with his sons. It makes me sick when I think about what's been done to him.

Yes, permanent scarring on Filin's face, eleven surgeries (and counting) on his eyes, no vision in his right eye and so far only limited vision in his left, and yet Tsiskaridze and some of his supporters still claim that there was no acid in the jar and the whole thing was a hoax. But I still think that Filin looks amazingly good considering he had acid thrown in his face. He may be scarred but he still looks like himself. He still has his face. I guess the press and I have different definitions for the word "disfigured."

Thank you for taking the time to translate this. It's a nice change from those sometimes nonsensical machine translations from Google. Sounds like the police feel they have a very strong case.

I hope if convicted everyone involved gets the full 12 years. And I hope that Dmitrichenko doesn't get a lesser sentence because he "only" intended for Filin to be beaten up. If he's able to escape punishment and continue dancing at the Bolshoi (or anywhere else for that matter) then there really is no justice in this world. Or at least in Russia.

"The new "artistic council" that has been put in place seems potentially a victory for the pro-Grigorovich (or anti-Filin) forces in the company -- Ismene Browne has an interesting commentary on her blog." Is there any point to Filin returning to the Bolshoi? It sounds like he doesn't really have much support and the elements that led to him being harrassed and attacked will still be there. On the one hand, I'd hate to see him not return because it would mean that his enemies would win. But on the other hand his personal safety is more important and working for another ballet company might give him the artistic freedom that he doesn't have with the Bolshoi.