Scandal at the Molody Theatre: staff demand Belous's suspension

Staff of the Molody Theatre have demanded the removal of Andriy Belous from his position as director and artistic director. The trigger for the appeal was allegations of sexual harassment made against the director by students of the Karpenko-Kary University.

One of the first to express a public reaction was theatre actor Ilya Choporov, who posted a statement on his Facebook page. It mentions a collective appeal by staff to the Kyiv City State Administration (KMSA) demanding Belous's temporary suspension during the investigation.

The statement emphasises that the staff had previously avoided public statements for reasons of personal safety. However, following the public disclosure of the allegations, theatre workers stated that they could not feel safe as long as Belous remains in a leadership position.

— The theatre must be a place of trust, partnership and mutual respect. There should be no room for fear, manipulation or abuse of power, — reads the statement by Molody Theatre staff.