Sergei Filin

[Farfallina]

and just to complete my quotes here is the link to "radio Stimme Russlands" (Radio Voice of Russia) with a weekly  news round-up ( in German).

The quote "Komsomolskaja Prawda" saying the eyesight on the left eye is about 50% and getting progressively better...

They were the only ones ever to mention a percentage about the restored eyesight and since the doctors themselved didn't provide that yet, it's probably too early to be considered a fact.

 

http://german.ruvr.ru/2013_03_09/Wochentliche-Presseschau-04-03-10-03-2013/

[Marissa]

Thanks for the links Farfallina.  If you could translate some of the German article that would be much appreciated.  Google translations leave a lot to be desired.    That mention of Sergei not being able to see well enough to find his tea mug certainly doesn't sound encouraging.  This complete news shutdown is frustrating.  I want to know how he's doing.

[Jan McNulty]

Don't forget the copyright issues if you are going to provide translations.  A couple of sentences is acceptable, wholesale reproduction is not.

[Farfallina]

Thanks, Janet. I did not know that and there is a chance I might have gotten carried away in my intent to help

So I keep it short here.

The article on "Zeit Online" is a long summary and evaluation of the incidents leading to the attack and their analysis of the current situation at the BT.

The author also describes her impressions of SF's outer and inner state as they have met in the cafeteria of the clinic of Aachen for an interview.

 

If anyone needs help with the translation just drop me a private note.

[Marissa]

I didn't know about the copyright issues either. I don't want anyone getting into trouble!  So Farfallina, could you just provide a brief summary of what the author had to say about SF's outer and inner state when you have the chance?  Thanks.

 

I did manage to find some news.  The legal proceedings have been postponed until June 18th and all three suspects will remain in custody until then.

[Farfallina]

The author describes SF 's face as puffed up and blotchy like after a sunburn. "Walking into the cafeteria he feels his way forward holding on to his wife's arm". Furthermore they describe what we have read in other articles as well that he is in a fighting spirit and is eager to return to his job. The journalist expresses a wish to confirm to what extend SF is believing what he is saying, but due to the fact that he is wearing sunglasses misses that confirmation. They also mention that SF has been reflecting a lot about the book "A hero of our time" by Lermontow lately...

[Marissa]

Thanks Farfallina! I appreciate you taking the time to do that. It sounds like his eyesight is still really bad. I hope his doctors are right about him eventually regaining enough sight to lead a normal life.

[Farfallina]

"Court to consider Bolshoi acid attack suspects' release - live coverage" on RAPSI - Russian Legal Information Agency.

 

Here you can read almost real time what's going on in the court room

 

http://rapsinews.com/judicial_analyst/20130416/267038142.html

Edited April 16, 2013 by Janet McNulty
Edited to increase font size for old fogies like me!

[MAB]

I hope Dmitichenko does get bail; with no previous offences to his name it was inexplicable he wasn't offered it in the first place, clearly the Russian system is different from the UK.

[Clarissa]

German doctors who observe Filin do not make assumptions in regards when the artistic director will be able to return to Russia. "There are no predictions on this occasion" -  his lawyer Tatiana Stukalova told "Interfax". She said that doctors are waitings for Filin's eye tissue transplants. "This operation was not yet done, doctors are waiting for the material to be laid in the eye," - said Stukalova.

 

 http://www.interfax.ru/russia/txt.asp?id=301774

[Yaffa]

According to this source, none of the three suspects were granted bail.

 

Yaffa

 

 

"Court to consider Bolshoi acid attack suspects' release - live coverage" on RAPSI - Russian Legal Information Agency.

 

Here you can read almost real time what's going on in the court room

 

http://rapsinews.com/judicial_analyst/20130416/267038142.html

[Marissa]

In the US if a suspect has been charged with a serious crime and is considered a flight risk, they can be denied bail even if they have no previous offenses. 

 

And we now know why there has been no news on the outcome of SF's transplant surgery yet.  Thanks to everyone who has provided updates. Nice to have some "new" news for a change.

[Marissa]

Well, this news is very discouraging and disheartening.

 

http://www.france24.com/en/20130418-bolshoi-acid-attack-victim-still-cannot-see

 

I'm really confused. All the reports have consistently said that SF still retained some sight in his left eye and just last month his doctors were expressing optimism about him regaining enough vision to lead a normal life. So I really don't understand what's going on.

[Farfallina]

It's really heartbreaking - more reports like this one coming in, but all just quoting Izwestija. I started to believe the left eye was almost "fixed" to the best possible degree and that doctors would find a way for some improvement on the right eye as well.

[Marissa]

I'd like to know what went wrong. When he was still in Moscow his wife said he was able to read the first four lines of the eye chart. And now he's completely blind? The thought of him not only never being able to do his job again but also never being able to see the faces of his wife and sons again makes me sick. I hope SF's doctors will make some kind of statement about what's going on with his health. They had said they had high hopes for this transplant surgery. I wonder if they still do.

[Clarissa]

Izvestia quoted Tatiana Stukalova, Filin's lawyer. She, probably, was meaning that both of his eyes can't see properly (not completely). Izvestia could cut some of her words.

P.S.In Moscow the eyes condition was better, because it was just a beginning of the process of the progressive blindness. The eyes don't lose sight immediately in the most of the cases. So, in Germany doctors should restore his eyes.

[Marissa]

Clarissa, I didn't know that his blindness is progressive. Thanks for clearing that up. I hope you're right about the possibility that Tatiana Stukalova's words weren't quoted accurately and that there is still a chance that Sergei's vision can be restored. 

[Clarissa]

If it were not for the deterioration of the eyes, Sergei would not go to Germany. Chemical burn gradually destroys the eye ...So the implant is a good solution. I hope that all will be well.

[Ian Macmillan]

Ismene Brown's blog has published another translation from a Russian periodical, this one including some unpleasant pictures of Mr Filin's condition in the aftermath of the attack as surgeons worked on his face.  I don't think these have been released before.

 

http://www.ismeneb.com/ismeneb.com/Blog/Entries/2013/4/25_How_doctors_saved_Filins_burned_skin_with_cell_treatment_-_pictures.html 

[MAB]

This gets ever stranger, they stiched up his eyes to prevent damage while they were operating to restore his face?  Surely the priority would have been his eyes?

[Clarissa]

This gets ever stranger, they stiched up his eyes to prevent damage while they were operating to restore his face?  Surely the priority would have been his eyes?

They stitched up eyelids in order to repair the damaged corneas.

[Clarissa]

Ismene Brown's blog has published another translation from a Russian periodical, this one including some unpleasant pictures of Mr Filin's condition in the aftermath of the attack as surgeons worked on his face.  I don't think these have been released before.

 

http://www.ismeneb.com/ismeneb.com/Blog/Entries/2013/4/25_How_doctors_saved_Filins_burned_skin_with_cell_treatment_-_pictures.html 

Yes, I think, this was one more desperate attempt to explain to the simple Russian people, those ordinary TV viewers,  that Sergei Filin was really seriously injured. Because since some popular figures, including some fading ballet stars, declared to the world there was not an acid attack on Filin and it was something not very serious, people were confused. Many are saying now, they don't believe that Filin suffered a sulfuric acid attack and that he is just pretending. Besides, this article is a response to the lawyers of Dmitrichenko, Zarutsky and Lipatov, who insist that the injuries were not life threatening and even  not serious. 

[MAB]

"Simple Russian people", "fading ballet stars".  You are very free with your insults, Clarissa.

[Farfallina]

Still shocked about the photos....

[Marissa]

I'm shocked at the photos too but amazed at how well the treatments have worked. I hope a similar miracle can be performed on Sergei's eyes so his vision can be saved along with his face. 

[Clarissa]

Here are the scanned copies of the article published in the "Караван Историй" magazine, which is not available on the internet. The most important information here , I think, is what they say about Sergei Filin's health condition. We learn from Sergei that his sons, Sasha and Sergei, visited him recently.They arrived in Aachen for the short school holidays, at the end of March. Sergei asked doctors to delay one operation to make it possible to see his sons with one eye. And next day he had undergone one more surgery and doctors put the membranes in both his eyes. So, literally, Sergei can't see with neither eye, because doctors put the membranes in them. But, thanks God, this is a temporary blindness.

There are some other interesting details in this story. Later I will write something else about it.  http://theor.jinr.ru/~smond/forum/Caravan/Prorvich.pdf  

http://theor.jinr.ru/~smond/forum/Caravan/Filin.pdf

[MAB]

Exactly what is the point of quoting from and providing links to Russian language articles on an English language web site?

[Clarissa]

Here it is a translation of Sergei Filin words : " When I learned that my children, Sasha and Sergei, should come here, I begged the doctors to delay the next operation . I had to see them just a little bit, at least with one eye. I met my children, and on the next day I had the surgery and both eyes were sewn up and covered with the membranes." 

[MAB]

Burning the midnight oil tonight?

[Clarissa]

I write at night, as I work during the day. 

[MAB]

I somehow missed this blog by Ismene Brown that states that Pavel Dmitrichenko's lawyer is planning an appeal to Strasbourg over this case

 

http://www.ismeneb.com/ismeneb.com/Blog/Entries/2013/4/26_Dmitrichenko_will_appeal_to_Strasbourg_against_custody.html

 

What remains unclear is whether Russia recognizes any decisions made by a higher court.  Pavel's trial has been put back to July, that is a very long time for a dancer to be confined.  Interestingly the tone of Ms Brown's blogs are very different now from those when this story first broke, indeed the more one examines the story the stranger it becomes.

 

Sadly the truth may never out as the notoriously corrupt Russian judiciary will back whoever pays the largest backhander.  Perhaps the only ray of hope for Dmitrichenko is that the world's media has covered this story and people are looking at the obvious discrepencies in the evidence and drawing their own conclusions.

[Paul Arrowsmith]

Exactly what is the point of quoting from and providing links to Russian language articles on an English language web site?

 

Many people in the UK can read Russian - very helpful to have these Russian sources sourced. Thank you Clarissa.

[alison]

Precisely.  Contrary to vicious rumour, there are quite a few Britons who can actually understand languages other than English .  Particularly in this case, when understandably there is a lot of information (accurate, one hopes) coming out of Russia, I think it's justifiable to quote the Russian press, whereas I wouldn't necessarily bother to quote, say, an article in French on the subject.  I only wish I'd struggled harder with the Cyrillic alphabet, then I might be able to read these myself!