A Moscow court today extended the house arrest of renowned Russian theatre and film director Kirill Serebrennikov over a controversial fraud case to August 22, TASS state news agency reported.
Serebrennikov is awaiting trial on charges of embezzling 133 million rubles (USD 2.1 million at the current rate) of state funding for a theatre project, which he denies.
He has been held under house arrest since August last year.
Serebrennikov heads Moscow's Gogol Centre theatre and has staged productions at the Bolshoi.
The case against one of the country's most successful directors has provoked a wave of support for him from local and international arts figures who see it as part of a crackdown on artistic independence under President Vladimir Putin.
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In court today, Serebrennikov said that all the money was used for a theatrical project.
His film Leto (Summer) was screened in competition at the Cannes film festival this year in his absence.
The court ruled today that Serebrennikov has to finish reading the case papers by September 1, after which he could go on trial.
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