A masked attacker threw acid in the face of the artistic director of Russias prestigious Bolshoi Ballet, endangering his eyesight, in what colleagues said yesterday was the culmination of a two-week campaign of intimidation.
Sergei Filin, a former leading dancer at the Bolshoi who has been in the high-pressure job at the heart of Russian culture for nearly two years, was attacked outside his Moscow apartment building as he returned home on Thursday night.
Stunned current and former colleagues suggested the motive could have been envy, rivalry or even competition for roles. – (Reuters)
