A 45-year-old businessman from the Leningrad Region went to the Hermitage on May 17, sat on the great imperial throne and read an appeal addressed to Vladimir Putin. Fontanka and other publications reported on the incident.
incident It happened At around two o’clock on Sunday afternoon in the St. George Hall of the Winter Palace. One of the visitors, a man in a robe, went behind the fence and climbed onto the pedestal where the throne was installed. Judging by published Via video, he read a speech he had brought with him on several sheets of paper, and at one point sat on the throne.
According to eyewitnesses, the man said something about bribes, loans, and ruin, then went to the president. Among other things, he said:
- “Vladimir Vladimirovich, I know that you have a great responsibility to preserve the environment and that you are faced with great tasks every moment of time. Just like me, 24 hours a day and not a single moment more. But there are no trifles and we need to understand the legality”;
- “I’m not used to losing and giving up what I set out to do, no matter how pathetic it may seem, to make the world a better place. I don’t need leniency, I need to enforce the law and punish the guilty”;
- “The world’s powerful sat on this throne. And I’m not talking about physical strength now. The result is important to me, not this chair.”
One of the Hermitage employees tried to get the visitor off the base, but he threatened him, via video, with the knife he was holding in his hands. The museum employee retreated behind the fence. by Data “Fontanka,” the man had a samurai tanto knife with him, which he had hidden in his shoe. by last Information, there were knives.
Soon the employees of the Russian Guard arrived at the museum and detained Armed Visitor The administration stated that the man tried to actively resist during the arrest. He was taken to the police station, where he was at the time taken “To a specialized medical institution for examination and to provide the necessary assistance.” The police are investigating.
In the Hermitage Named What happened was an “armed provocation,” specifying that May 17 was the day of free entry to the museum. The press service of the Hermitage added: “None of the visitors or employees of the museum were harmed. A preliminary visual inspection of the throne chair and its seat was carried out. The state of preservation of the exhibits will be studied in more detail by the museum’s specialists.”
“Fontanka” ConfirmsThe detainee’s name is Alexander. The newspaper wrote that he is a father of three children and a “ruined businessman” from the village of Gorbunki in the Leningrad region. On social media, the businessman participated in discussions regarding various initiatives in the village, and also criticized the local authorities.
According to SPARK system data, Alexander had at least four business projects. By the end of 2025, his software development company turns out to be unprofitable. Two more companies were liquidated by decision of the Federal Tax Service, and the fourth “shows no signs of life,” says Fontanka publications.
This is not the first incident of the throne in the Hermitage. In March 2025, another visitor to the museum, Alexander Drobyshev, sat on the throne of the Master of the Knights of Malta in room No. 172. As a result, the exhibit was damaged – the seat was deformed and the upholstery was torn. After a year of trial collected Of which 825 thousand rubles – the cost of restoration work.