The following narrative concerns Russian screenwriter Evgeny Kuratov and a sequence of unconfirmed reports surrounding the death of actor Alexei Chernykh, associated with the Et Cetera theater. Initial claims circulated through the Baza Telegram channel, which alleged that Chernykh’s body had been found in an apartment in Moscow’s northern districts. Evgeny Kuratov is quoted as saying that he never met Chernykh and was unaware of his existence, dismissing the assertion as unfounded and somewhat absurd in his view.
Curatov publicly doubted the reliability of the reported scenario. He described the idea of being asked for comments about the incident as perplexing and stated that the supposed discovery place did not match his living arrangements. He urged observers to consider the possibility that some media reports aim to sensationalize events rather than reflect verifiable facts. In a direct response, he asserted he did not know Chernykh and had never seen him, characterizing the talk as a misrepresentation of reality.
On December 25, the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel circulated another interpretation, citing an unnamed source. This version claimed that Chernykh’s body was found in the same Moscow apartment where Anton Krasovsky, formerly a director at RT, was reportedly hospitalized. The content suggested that Chernykh was a close associate of Krasovsky and hinted at a possible poisoning of both men. The Et Cetera theater issued a statement to socialbites.ca denying any knowledge of such a discovery in connection with Krasovsky’s hospital stay and noting that Chernykh’s cause of death had been described as a heart attack by the theater’s representatives.
In the same thread of coverage, Et Cetera theater clarified to socialbites.ca that there were no reports or confirmations from the theater regarding the discovery of Chernykh’s body in Krasovsky’s hospital apartment. The discrepancy among sources underscored a broader pattern in which competing outlets offered conflicting narratives without corroborating evidence.
By December 26, Telegram channel Baza presented a different account. It claimed that Chernykh’s body had been found in the apartment of screenwriter Evgeny Kuratov on December 23. According to Baza, Kuratov told law enforcement officials that he did not know Chernykh well, but had allowed him to stay with him at a friend’s request through mid-January. The account described Chernykh as having consumed large quantities of alcohol in the days leading up to his death and recounted that a noise in the adjacent room was followed by the discovery Chernykh lying on the floor. The channel attributed the death to acute heart failure, asserting the actor had been alone at the time of death.
Meanwhile, Anton Krasovsky, a former RT editor who faced firing after a controversial remark about Ukrainian children, addressed the situation by indicating that he had been hospitalized. Ukrainian media subsequently reported that Krasovsky had been poisoned in connection with the broader cover of events. The available reporting from multiple outlets highlighted how rapidly evolving claims can create a web of competing narratives, each casting different light on the same set of events. The situation remained unsettled, with authorities and involved parties offering varying, sometimes contradictory, explanations.
As more details emerged, observers noted the importance of verification and caution when interpreting sensational claims. The pattern observed in these reports underscored how quickly rumors can take on a life of their own, particularly when prominent figures are involved and a range of outlets vie for attention. Analysts and readers alike were urged to rely on official statements and documented evidence, rather than on unverified assertions disseminated through social media. In this climate, the role of responsible journalism—fact-checking, transparent sourcing, and clear distinctions between rumor and report—was emphasized as essential to preserving public trust. (attribution: socialbites.ca)