“Our silence was caused by shock and an attempt to comprehend what happened to one of the closest people of Sovremennik, Mikhail Efremov,” the statement said on the theater’s website.
The theater stated that "it has always been and remains an integral part of the theater", and noted that "what happened is a huge tragedy."
“We offer our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased Sergey Zakharov. We hope that his family will have the strength and courage to survive the loss and preserve a bright memory of him, ”the Sovremennik reported.
The theater also wished "spiritual strength to Mikhail Efremov and his family."
“In this incredibly difficult time, we want to ask all of you to remain magnanimous, not to go to extremes of condemnation,” the message said.
In "Sovremennik" they added that "the tragedy happened, and turning back the clock fails, no matter how you like, you cannot become judges, stigmatize or, on the contrary, justify, but it is very important not to give aggression, negative energy to grow at all costs ".
Earlier, Efremov recorded a video message in which he asked for forgiveness from Zakharov’s relatives and expressed his willingness to help his family.
Later, family lawyer Alexander Dobrovinsky said that relatives of Zakharov did not accept Efremov’s apology, refused the proposed monetary compensation and intend to achieve a fair court decision.
In the evening of June 8, the car, which was driven by Efremov, drove into the oncoming lane on Smolenskaya Square and crashed into a van. The driver of the van Sergey Zakharov died in the hospital.
The examination found that Efremov was driving while intoxicated.
The artist by court order was sent under house arrest.