Director Mikhail Lokshin faced scrutiny after claims emerged that he discredited the Russian army. Telegram sources circulated the allegation, laying the groundwork for further discussion.
Activist Vitaly Borodin filed a formal appeal asking the director of the film The Master and Margarita to verify whether Lokshin received funding from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The objection centers on Lokshin’s public posts on social media that criticized the Russian military operation in Ukraine, adding fuel to the controversy surrounding the project.
Borodin noted that The Master and Margarita, released in January, was produced with state budget funds, reporting expenditures in the vicinity of 800 million rubles. He also highlighted Lokshin’s public posts in support of Alexei Navalny and his financial contributions to Ukrainian documentarian Mila Zhluktenko, underscoring perceived pro-Ukraine sentiment.
According to the activist, Lokshin’s stance amounts to an explicit show of support for Ukraine, quoting Lokshin as saying that future generations of Russians would bear the cost of the tragedy in Ukraine.
On the eve of the film company Mars Media’s public statement, Lokshin’s role as director of The Master and Margarita was echoed in a message that circulated within industry circles.
The statement recalled that, after the end of the filming period in fall 2021, Lokshin had completed contractual obligations and financial relations with the production teams and had returned to the United States. The creators emphasized that ongoing work on the project was being conducted under close scrutiny by the filmmakers.
Mars Media stressed that the project benefited from state support and noted that such ventures would be difficult to realize without formal assistance from public coffers.
Readers can find a review of The Master and Margarita through the publication that presents a consolidated analysis and critical perspective on the film, with citations attributed to relevant parties and sources as part of an ongoing discussion about the work and its financing.