Claim
Shortly before his death, Yuri Grigorovich transferred the copyright to 11 of his productions free of charge to his assistant, Ruslan Pronin
Attributed to the magazine Post-, citing unnamed sources
Evidence
Multiple independent Russian outlets corroborate this claim. Meduza reported that 'shortly before his death, the famous choreographer Yuri Grigorovich gratuitously transferred copyright to 11 of his productions to his assistant Ruslan Pronin,' explicitly citing the magazine 'Post-' as the original source citing unnamed sources, and stating Meduza independently confirmed this information. BFM.ru also reported that rights to 11 (in some reports nine) ballets ended up with the 'Yuri Grigorovich Fund' controlled by Pronin. AiF (Argumenty i Fakty) likewise reported that, per media accounts, the rights were 'gratuitously transferred' to Pronin's fund shortly before Grigorovich's death (he was 98 and on strong medication), and that his nephew Nikolai Karatygin and the Bolshoi Theatre have filed fraud complaints, with Pronin currently a witness in the case. Ballerina Anastasia Volochkova publicly commented supporting Pronin's version, confirming the transfer occurred but framing it positively.
Supporting sources
Contradicting sources
Assessment
The core factual claim (transfer of 11 productions' copyrights to Pronin shortly before Grigorovich's death) is corroborated by Meduza's independent confirmation and consistent reporting across BFM.ru and AiF, but it originates from 'unnamed sources' cited by Post- magazine and is now the subject of a disputed fraud investigation, with the nephew claiming Grigorovich may not have understood his own actions due to age and medication — so the transfer's validity/circumstances remain contested even though the transfer itself appears real.
Confidence
Some independent corroboration was found, but it isn't yet conclusive.
Timeline
Aug 14, 2026, 9:40 AM UTC
LikelyInitial assessment.
First observed Aug 14, 2026, 9:40 AM UTC · Last reviewed Aug 21, 2026, 4:37 AM UTC