The museum employee who broke the nose of a visitor to the Hermitage turned out to be the deputy head of the General Staff

An employee of the Hermitage, who broke a visitor’s nose, turned out to be the deputy head of a department at the General Staff Museum, his name is Ilya Astrov. V conversation with “Fontanka” Astrov noted that he was very sorry for his act. He refused to comment on the situation.

The incident took place on October 30, about him told fitness trainer Anastasia Mironova, who was at the time of the incident with the victim. According to her, they were at the exit from the Hermitage when there was a skirmish with Astrov. Mironova noted that the latter unexpectedly punched her companion in the face. After that, the museum staff kicked the couple out of the premises, despite the guy’s attempts to stop the bleeding. The couple called the police and took x-rays, which showed that the nose was broken.

In the press service of the museum reportedthat the “unpleasant incident” took place on the first day of the introduction of the mandatory presentation of QR codes, at the exit from the General Staff Building. “An employee who has committed a misconduct fully admits his guilt and regrets for his overly emotional actions. He explains this by the general state of nervousness associated with the pandemic and its impact on life, including the new operating hours of the museum, ”the press service said in a statement.

Then the press service did not specify the identity of the attacker. The museum noted that this employee is not engaged in receiving visitors and is not an employee of the Museum Security Service.