Deception Surrounding Yanin’s Fate and the Aftermath
The wife of actor Alexei Yanin, Daria, became the target of scammers who pretended to be staff from the Sklifosovsky Research Institute and claimed that her husband had died. She later described the experience to the Telegram channel Puree, noting that the impostors aimed to profit from the family’s grief. Daria recounted receiving a phone call on September 2 at 7:30 a.m. bearing the devastating message. She said she was never offered funeral services, which led her to believe the person on the line was not connected to ritual acts. She spent the day in shock, and by evening she learned that the reported death was false. A formal statement was filed with the police to document the scammers’ actions.
Who Reported Yanin as Dead?
News of Yanin’s supposed death began on the Telegram channel of the Russian Academic Youth Theater, which later cited Mash as reporting that Yanin had fallen ill on September 1 and was taken by ambulance to NV Sklifosovsky. The doctors reportedly diagnosed an epileptic attack and convulsions, while the channel announced the actor’s death. In response, Daria Yanin posted to social media clarifying that her husband was alive, explaining: “Friends. This is a cry from the heart. A cruel situation has happened to our family today. The news we received in the morning came from representatives of the Research Institute named after him. NV Sklifosovsky appears to have been a misunderstanding. Lesha’s condition is critical, in a coma in intensive care, but alive.” The family later heard from the doctors that Yanin had indeed died, only for another call to reveal that the initial report was mistaken. Mash subsequently stated that Yanin could be resuscitated and placed in an artificial coma, while RAMT issued a separate rebuttal. The theater’s press service commented that the earlier claims were inaccurate and that the team chose to stay quiet about the mistake to avoid spreading fear. They added that the misreporting would no longer be entertained in hopes of calming the public’s concern. (Source attributions: Mash; RAMT; Russian Academic Youth Theater press statements)
Illness and Recovery
Yanin’s medical history includes a stroke in May 2015. Olga Yanina, the actor’s mother, recalled in an interview that the artist maintained a rigorous schedule with multiple film projects, stage rehearsals, and frequent travel, which contributed to immense stress. She described the pressure as immense and noted the toll it took on his health. Before the stroke, Yanin reportedly had episodes of high blood pressure, but did not report ongoing health complaints. On the day of the incident, he and his wife and child were staying with his mother-in-law in Voronezh before he visited a friend. He became unwell around 9 p.m. and refused to call for help. The ambulance arrived around three in the morning and took him to Pervaya Gradskaya, where doctors diagnosed a stroke. His mother also indicated that operating on him at that time might have changed the outcome, suggesting that an earlier procedure at Sklifosovsky could have improved his prognosis. The family described noticeable consequences: impaired speech, limited mobility, and near-visual impairment. Olga Yanina then moved her son to a country house where she cared for him, while Daria remained in Moscow with their child but helped as much as possible. A year after the stroke, another operation allowed limited improvement in arm and leg movement. In 2017, Yanin and his mother sought rehabilitation in Germany, and progress followed gradually. By the following year, he began to articulate words and, after further months, regained more mobility in the right hand so that he could perform basic activities like eating, drinking, brushing teeth, and combing hair with assistance. (Attribution: Olga Yanina, Close People program; family statements)
As time went on, the family pursued continued therapy and support to assist Yanin’s recovery and maintain his quality of life, emphasizing the long, ongoing process of rehabilitation. The account shows both the personal toll of a serious health event and the resilience of a family navigating medical and logistical hurdles while facing public attention. (Contextual notes from family disclosures and public programs)