"Culture vultures" want money?

      It is worth noting that the expression "Cultural Grabbers" did not refer to a citizen from Sochi, but to officials in the cultural sector. Thus, one immediately recalls the saying: "The thief's cap is on fire."

      At the first meeting, the "citizen," who is registered in the "main resort city" of Russia, addressed the Philharmonic and Drama Theater with a petition "for the collection of evidence." In particular, the plaintiff demanded to include the author of the article "Cultural Grabbers caused another scandal for the Kirov Philharmonic" as a co-defendant, despite his personal presence in the court session, and requested the provision of personal data of the author mentioned in the article "sources," who could have "leaked" information about the situation.

      It can be assumed that in this way the "gray house" hoped to influence the journalist's "sources" through the plaintiff. By the way, the "law enforcement agencies" are reluctant to respond to articles about the possible distribution of free seats at concerts in the Philharmonic. Not to mention the assumptions about "causing damage" to the budget institution.

      It is funny, but the plaintiff's statement indicates that he considers the phrase "double director" to be offensive. The publication believes that the head of the Philharmonic is upset that his triple leadership was not mentioned: director of the Drama Theater, Philharmonic, and head of the Kirov regional branch of the "Union of Theater Workers of the Russian Federation."

      The editorial board, in turn, prepared and submitted financial report documents to the court, obtained from the official Philharmonic website. At the same time, realistically understanding that the plaintiff — "citizen of the Russian Federation" — Konstantin Zaynullin, registered in the "resort capital" and paid the state duty as an "individual" when submitting the application, is most likely only a "nominal" or "technical" player, probably "set up" (or rather, "framed") to protect the "offended virtue" of the regional authorities of the first echelon — a "politically negotiated match."

      Information about the financial situation of the regional enterprise was obtained from the website of the Federal Treasury. Therefore, the phrases "there is no money at all" and about the "likely financial collapse of the Philharmonic" cannot be considered an editorial fake.

      As stated in one of Zaynullin's petitions, the editorial board does not have any information or documents confirming the "poor financial condition" of the Philharmonic. However, it is worth noting that the statement was submitted and attached to the case materials before copies of the documents — with Zaynullin's seal and personal signature — were presented for the scrutiny of the May Day Themis.

      It should be noted that according to open data, as of January 1, 2026, the debt for salaries to Philharmonic employees exceeds 6 (6.814) million rubles. And the total loss is nearly 24 (23.794) million, which constitutes a threefold increase compared to the previous year (it was 9.4 million). Given that the Philharmonic, just last year, brought in 6.9 million in net profit from income-generating activities, has now become unprofitable — minus 6.3 million, is surely known to the head of the Ministry of Culture Daniil Dvortsov (the documents are signed by him).

      It is worth noting that financial reports, the financial and economic activity plan, and information about the incomes of the head and deputies from 2022 to 2026 are not posted on the official website of the cultural institution.

      Interestingly, if one studies the documents of the Federal Treasury, by this March, the Drama Theater under Zaynullin's leadership has firmly established itself in the "chronically unprofitable" category. As of the end of 2025, the losses amounted to... 146.8 million rubles, increasing by 32.5 million over 12 months. The creditor debt under Zaynullin's leadership has grown almost threefold (2.68 times), amounting to 13.1 million. And the tax arrears have "grown" to 20.5 million rubles.

      The editorial board appeals to law enforcement agencies, especially to the Regional Prosecutor's Office, which the Attorney General Alexander Gutsan has ordered to immediately engage in "bankruptcy cases" related to salary debts, considering the published material an official statement. Of course, unless the court itself issues a "private determination" regarding the facts revealed during the case review, about violations of the law or other significant shortcomings in the activities of organizations and officials.

      Meanwhile, there is one important "but" in this case: on the eve of the court process, a high-ranking official from the "gray house," whom we will not name for now, but many perceptive individuals will guess who it is about, told the owner of the publication to his face about the predetermined nature of the process that had not yet begun. Therefore, already after the first sessions, we have questions not only for the cultural officials but also for the court and the judicial process.

      In this regard, since we have no other way to justice, we have decided to publicize the nuances of what is happening.