Aleksandr Kondratov, Liquidation production designer accused of treason, dies

Aleksandr Kondratov, a production designer who won Golden Eagle and TEFI awards for the 2007 Russian television series Liquidation, has died in Moscow while facing a treason charge. He was 52.

Aleksandr Kondratov was admitted to Botkin Hospital from a remand prison on 23 October, the human rights project First Department said. Human rights defenders have not disclosed the cause of death.

Aleksandr Kondratov had lived in Kyiv since 2012 and travelled to Russia in May to get a new international passport. He was taken into custody at border control at Vnukovo Airport on 5 May and was then subjected to a ‘carousel’ of administrative detentions lasting more than 70 days in total.

On 9 August Mediazona reported that he had been placed in a remand prison on charges of treason under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code. The outlet later found that, according to the prosecution, he had committed treason ‘through at least six publications’ online.

Aleksandr Kondratov worked for many years as a production designer in the Russian and Ukrainian film industries.