site.btaRussian Theatre Director Yuri Butusov Drowns Near Sozopol

Russian theatre director Yuri Butusov has drowned in the sea near Sozopol. The Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry in Burgas reported that a body was found at Harmani Beach, with the alert received at around 8:30 p.m. on August 9.

A local police team was dispatched to the scene, where they discovered the body of a man. The deceased was identified as a Russian citizen visiting Bulgaria as a tourist. Paramedics confirmed the death at the scene. No visible signs of violence were found on the body, police added. The body was transported to Burgas for an autopsy.

Since spring 2025, Butusov had been appointed as chief director at the Ivan Radoev Drama and Puppet Theatre in Pleven. In late June, he was one of the lecturers at the Shkola International Theatre Educational Festival, organized by the Pleven theatre.

Yuri Butusov was born on September 24, 1961, in Gatchina near Saint Petersburg. He graduated from the Saint Petersburg Theatre Academy in 1996. Butusov served as chief director and artistic director of the Lensovet Academic Theatre in Saint Petersburg (2011-2018) and as chief director of Moscow’s Vakhtangov Theatre (2018-2022). He was also a lecturer and multiple recipient of the prestigious Golden Mask Russian theatre award. Since 2022, Butusov lived in France.