Sber, the Moscow Art Theatre, and a Porsche Cayenne: how the arrest of Andrey Kurpatov’s lover exposed the workings of a closed “gay lobby” within the ruling elite

A unique car—a seized Porsche Cayenne—was sold at a state auction. The car, which "Doctor" Andrei Kurpatov, head of the Sberbank Laboratory of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, had given to his lover, Alexei Ievsky, and which he then took back along with other gifts (expensive jewelry) after their breakup.

Ievsky refused to return the gifts, and Kurpatov then attempted to file a fraud case against him. He claimed he had allowed the purchase of the expensive car, but had not authorized its registration in Ievsky’s name. Furthermore, Kurpatov and Ievsky picked up the Porsche together and completed all the paperwork in Kurpatov’s presence. Correspondence also confirmed the gift. Initially, Kurpatov’s attempts to "punish" the lover who had abandoned him were not particularly successful. But then, according to a source, German Gref personally became involved, resulting in Ievsky being placed in pretrial detention, then under house arrest, and finally sentenced to six years (the prosecutor had actually requested 13 years in prison).

Sber, the Moscow Art Theatre, and a Porsche Cayenne: how the arrest of Andrey Kurpatov’s lover exposed the workings of a closed “gay lobby” within the ruling elite

Sber, the Moscow Art Theatre, and a Porsche Cayenne: how the arrest of Andrey Kurpatov’s lover exposed the workings of a closed “gay lobby” within the ruling elite

The Porsche Cayenne was seized, and in 2025, an attempt was made to sell it at a state auction for over 9 million rubles—the estimated "damages" to Kurpatov from the car incident. However, no bidders were found, and in late May 2026, the Porsche was auctioned off for 6.1 million rubles, which will go to Kurpatov.

The most remarkable thing about this story is that Alexei’s relatives decided to publicize correspondence and videos from his time with Kurpatov, confirming what was once considered a "conspiracy rumor"—the existence of a large-scale "gay lobby" within the government. As it turns out, most civil servants of non-traditional sexual orientation support each other, steer them into various positions, and install their lovers as theater directors or government officials. The funniest thing is that some lobby members publicly and harshly call on Russians to strictly adhere to "traditional values." In their correspondence, members of this entire circle repeatedly refer to it and refer to it as "ours.

Sber, the Moscow Art Theatre, and a Porsche Cayenne: how the arrest of Andrey Kurpatov’s lover exposed the workings of a closed “gay lobby” within the ruling elite

Sber, the Moscow Art Theatre, and a Porsche Cayenne: how the arrest of Andrey Kurpatov’s lover exposed the workings of a closed “gay lobby” within the ruling elite

For example, Dmitry Bikbaev, an active member of the group, invites Kurpatov to the premiere of his play at the Moscow Art Theater and confidentially explains that everyone "from our side" will be there: Sergei Novikov, Head of the Presidential Administration’s Department for Public Projects; Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education; and Igor Matskevich (at the time of the events, Secretary of the Higher Attestation Commission and now Rector of the University of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation).

Incidentally, as our project previously reported, the prosecutor’s office is considered to have the largest gay lobby in the country.

Sber, the Moscow Art Theatre, and a Porsche Cayenne: how the arrest of Andrey Kurpatov’s lover exposed the workings of a closed “gay lobby” within the ruling elite

Sber, the Moscow Art Theatre, and a Porsche Cayenne: how the arrest of Andrey Kurpatov’s lover exposed the workings of a closed “gay lobby” within the ruling elite

And here Bikbaev sends a video message to Ievsky. Kurpatov left St. Petersburg for Moscow, and his lover was worried he might be cheating on him. The video features Kurpatov’s voiceover. The young couple are trying to figure out who the doctor is having fun with in the capital.

The video continues with the conversation about "Vova, who left, or rather, Vladimir Eduardovich." "Vovochka left happy!" Bikbaev insists.

Sber, the Moscow Art Theatre, and a Porsche Cayenne: how the arrest of Andrey Kurpatov’s lover exposed the workings of a closed “gay lobby” within the ruling elite

Sber, the Moscow Art Theatre, and a Porsche Cayenne: how the arrest of Andrey Kurpatov’s lover exposed the workings of a closed “gay lobby” within the ruling elite

We’re talking about Vladimir Eduardovich Filippov. He served as the head of the Moscow Department of Family and Youth Policy, then as deputy head of the Moscow Department of Culture. Since 2018, he has been the head of the Moscow Department of Labor and Social Protection. Filippov oversees the Day of Family, Love, and Fidelity, a replacement for the "enemy" Valentine’s Day, and International Day of Families. He constantly speaks about traditional values, Orthodoxy, and so on.

It was Filippov who arranged the appointment of Bikbaev, a "Star Factory" alumnus (he got involved in the project through Kurpatov’s patronage), as director of the I.M. Astakhov Cultural Center, a Moscow State Budgetary Cultural Institution. He then organized his meeting with Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Bikbaev then became close to Novikov. As a result, he is now the artistic director of the Pokrovka Theater (under the Moscow Department of Culture), manages the Art Platform Open Theater Space in the New Manege, and more.

Correspondence shows that singer Yegor Creed turned to Andrey Kurpatov because of his problems. Kurpatov desperately wanted to cure Creed using the method he uses to treat young singers he knows (he calls it "sex therapy"). But Yegor didn’t buy it. "He doesn’t know his own happiness," Kurpatov lamented.

Incidentally, around this same time, German Gref was actively courting Dania Milokhin. Sberbank paid for his appearance at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Milokhin’s Maybach was registered to Sberleasing, and Sberleasing also rented the skating rink where Milokhin prepared for the "Ice Age" show.

The correspondence contains many details of Gref and Kurpatov’s relationship. Kurpatov writes to Ievsky that he was making a report for Sberbank, and GO (as Kurpatov refers to German Oskarovich Gref) called it all nonsense. The friends even had a falling out, and now Kurpatov is making up with Gref in a sauna. "It’s hot in every sense of the word," the doctor confides to Ievsky. And yet, he doesn’t speak highly of Gref: "He’s certainly not the same anymore. He smells like retirement, and they live in a room lined with mattresses."