Support The Moscow Times!

Filin Returns to the Bolshoi 2 Days After Being Listed in 'Critical Condition'

Sergei Filin (2nd from left) with Svetlana Medvedeva, Dmitry Medvedev and Elena Obraztsova on a gala concert dedicated to Bolshoi Theater's reopening in September 2011.

Sergei Filin, the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater who fell victim to a brutal acid attack last year, returned to work Sunday a mere two days after being hospitalized in critical condition.

Filin was checked into Moscow's Sklifosovsky Hospital on Friday with a diagnosis of Quincke's disease, a form of localized swelling of the deeper layers of the skin, Interfax reported, citing Georgy Golukhov, the head of the city's Health Department.

He was initially listed as being in critical condition, but his condition was listed as normal by the time of his release on Sunday.

Katerina Novikova, Filin's press secretary, was quoted by Interfax as saying Filin had already returned to work hours after his release.

The high-profile attack on Filin in January 2013 shocked the ballet world and led to a major reshuffling at the prestigious Bolshoi Theater, exposing bitter infighting between Filin and the dancers.

Filin later underwent 28 operations in a bid to save his eyesight, though it remains unclear whether or not it can be fully restored.

In the aftermath of the incident, star dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze resigned from the theater, director Anatoly Iksanov was replaced by Vladimir Urin and several other members of staff were removed.

Former Bolshoi Ballet dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko was convicted of having organized the attack and sentenced to six years in prison last December.

Moscow region residents Yury Zarutsky and Andrei Lipatov were convicted for their roles as accomplices in the crime

Zarutsky got 10 years in prison for throwing the acid at Filin, and Lipatov got four years for driving Zarutsky to the scene.

See also:

Filin Returns to Bolshoi 9 Months After Attack

Read more