Cultural space director resigns after husband's controversial posts on Moscow attack
Roksana Szatunowska, the general director of the New Holland cultural space in Saint Petersburg, resigned from her position after a scandal involving a social media post by her husband about the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall. Szatunowska had held the position for 13 years.
On March 24, two days after armed individuals killed at least 139 people in the Moscow concert hall Crocus City Hall, Szatunowska's husband, Nikolai Konashenok, posted two comments on Facebook about the attack.
The first said: "Why Crocus, not the Kremlin? Got confused?" In the second, he noted that the band Piknik, which was scheduled to perform on the night of the attack, was "small" and that an attack during a concert of songs from the movie Brat 2 "really would have been something".
As reported by the Telegram channel Ostorozno in Novosti, acquaintances of Konashenok described him as a long-time social media user known for his provocative posts. Before he deleted the posts, they had already caught the eye of pro-Kremlin Telegram channels. It was highlighted that Konashenok's wife is the director of New Holland.
The following day, Szatunowska announced on Instagram that she was stepping down from her role. She clarified that her husband had never been employed at New Holland, contradicting what some Telegram channels had suggested.
We came to a mutual decision that I would no longer serve in my position or carry out my duties due to a family member making monstrous and inhumane remarks - Szatunowska stated.
Szatunowska underscored her condemnation and lack of support for her husband's comments, expressing her full sympathy for the victims of the attack.
Husband in police custody
On March 25, Konashenok was arrested at Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg as he was about to board a plane to Yerevan. According to a statement from the press service of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Saint Petersburg, Konashenok's Facebook posts showed "signs of extremism", and the agency was yet to decide on initiating criminal proceedings.
The police released a video in which Konashenok "apologizes" (presumably under duress) for his posts. - I sincerely apologize. I do not endorse terrorism. A horrendous crime occurred, which we all grieve - he said to the camera.
