Searches of artists and cultural workers continue in Russia

The wave of searches of contemporary artists and art activists, which began yesterday, continues. According to “Mediazona”, on Wednesday, law enforcement officers conducted a search of the artist Anatoly Osmolovsky in Moscow. Several computers and other equipment were seized from him.

According to the source of “Mediazony”, after the search, Osmolovsky was taken in for questioning, the investigators were interested in his acquaintance with Pyotr Verzilov, the forum of Russian culture “Slovo Novo”, held in Europe, and the institute of contemporary art “Baza”, the founder and teacher of which is Osmolovsky.

“Kommersant” reported that the search also took place at the director of the Perm Museum of Contemporary Art PERMM Naila Allahverdiyeva and one of the Perm activist artists, whose name the newspaper did not mention.

According to the sources, all the searches are connected with the criminal case initiated against the former activist of Pussy Riot and the ex-publisher of “Mediazon” Peter Verzilov. Ego is accused of treason.

In an interview with Yury Dudy in October 2023, Verzilov stated that he was fighting in Ukraine in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Earlier, he was convicted in absentia in Russia in an article about the so-called fakes about the army for posts on social networks that talked about the events in Buche.

• On March 12, mass searches and detentions of artists and art activists took place in Russia. They were in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Ulyanovsk, Samara. In addition, law enforcement officers searched the mother of Peter Verzilov and the mother of Samara artist Denys Mustafyn, who does not live in Russia. Police officers confiscated equipment, paintings and posters. Some of the artists were detained and taken to police stations for questioning, then released as witnesses in the Verzilov case.