Russian director and writer detained and accused of 'justifying terrorism'

Yevgenia Berkovich and Svetlana Petriychuk, an acclaimed theater director and playwright, have been arrested in Russia and accused of “justifying terrorism” for their award-winning play “Finist, the Brave Falcon”. The play was staged in 2021 by Berkovich’s own company, with the support of the Union of Theater Workers of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The charges against Berkovich carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison. The arrests shocked Russia’s shrinking theater community and prompted independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta to publish an open letter in support of Berkovich and Petriychuk. In a separate development, authorities in St Petersburg temporarily closed the Maly Drama theater with one of its actors facing investigation for anti-war posts. Russia’s cultural scene has faced increased repression since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.