Russian actor Danila Kozlovsky filed a lawsuit against activist Vitaly Borodin for the amount of 1 ruble, seeking protection of honor and dignity. Life reports this with a reference to the case, noting that the legal action began after an initial setback when two earlier claims were not accepted by the court. Eventually, the claim was registered, and on September 13 the court granted the actor’s request to be compensated with 1 ruble. [Life]
The timeline shows that in mid-April Borodin alleged Kozlovsky had left Russia shortly after Moscow’s and St. Petersburg’s theaters were affected by Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Borodin claimed Kozlovsky traveled to the United States before returning to Russia. He also indicated that Kozlovsky had contacted the prosecutor’s office to indicate plans to perform in theaters in St. Petersburg. [Life]
Kozlovsky responded by saying he does not hold a second citizenship and that his travel to visit his child in America is a personal matter. He also denied Borodin’s assertion that he criticized the Russian government. The exchange escalated as the activist broadened the dispute, asserting that Kozlovsky’s connections to prominent film director Andrei Rodnyansky could be cited as part of a broader discussion of foreign influences in Russian cinema. [Life]
The dispute then took on a new dimension after Borodin asked the Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate whether Kozlovsky’s financing and association with industry figures could be viewed as problematic in light of the ongoing conflict. The question touched on the sensitive topic of external funding and the involvement of foreign agents within Russia’s cultural scene, prompting a formal inquiry from a high-level prosecutor’s office. [Life]
Earlier, in a separate but related note, public commentary involving other artists drew attention to the wider atmosphere of scrutiny surrounding performers and their public statements during geopolitical tensions. The attention around Kozlovsky’s case sits within this broader context of actors navigating national discourse and personal expression under intense public and political oversight. [Life]