A "ballet acid attack" is exposing the fierce competition within Moscow's Bolshoi theater. Forty-two-year-old Sergei Filin was attacked on Jan. 17, 2013, according to the Guardian. Now doctors are battling to save his eyesight. Filin is a former dancer who has served as artistic director at the Bolshoi since 2011. He has been criticized for his treatment of the dancers there. It's unfortunate if that's true, but it's no justification for such a brutal attack.
An unidentified person had reportedly been intimidating and threatening Filin for several weeks prior to the incident. On Thursday night, a man threw acid in his face outside his home in Moscow. The man was recorded on CCTV as he scurried away following the assault.
Filin's mother claims that she knows the identity of the man responsible for the so-called "ballet acid attack." She plans to provide that information to the police, according to reports. Authorities are investigating a possible link between the violent act and Filin's post at the Bolshoi. Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Bolshoi confirmed that Filin's tires were slashed and his Facebook account was hacked prior to the "ballet acid attack."
Filin underwent surgery on Friday as doctors attempted to save his vision. It is too early for the doctors to determine whether the surgery was successful. The former dancer suffered third degree burns on his face, and his right eye was badly burned, reported Yahoo!
Unfortunately, acid attacks are not unheard of. Just last year, a woman from Quebec suffered an acid attack at the hands of her boyfriend. To learn more about Tanya St. Arnaud's story, please see the video at the top of the page.
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