The Death of the Director and Threats to Mikhalkova: The Dark Past of 'Ural Dumplings'

We recount the dark spots in the history of the humor collective and audience favorites. **CONFLICT WITH NETIEVSKY** The conflict between Sergey Netievsky and the 'Ural Dumplings' collective began in 2015. After Netievsky left the position of director, a series of lawsuits followed. The disputes were over the rights to the trademark 'Ural Dumplings', archival recordings of performances, and finances. Accusations were made against the former director regarding the misappropriation of collective profits. In 2022, the parties involved reached a settlement. - Everyone remained as they were. The accusations against me were dismissed by the courts, I voluntarily transferred the trademarks to the team, I kept the first 75 programs of 'Ural Dumplings', but all parties acquired negative experiences from the lawsuits, - Netievsky told journalists. An important point in the history of the conflict was the liquidation of the company LLC 'Ural Dumplings Production', which was the main defendant in the disputes. It was closed in July 2026. **DEATH OF THE DIRECTOR IN A HOTEL** In 2015, after Sergey Netievsky left the show, the members of the collective hired Alexey Lyutikov as the general director of LLC 'Ural Dumplings Production'. Lyutikov was responsible for negotiations regarding concerts and the collective's participation in commercial projects. As the manager, he often accompanied the artists on tours. In August 2016, the team returned to Yekaterinburg from a tour in Sochi. On August 2, Lyutikov was supposed to fly to Moscow but booked a room at a hotel near the airport. He told his family that he had urgent matters and would have to stay in Yekaterinburg. He then ordered cognac to his room and locked himself in for several days, hanging a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door. However, on August 10, a maid entered the room and found the man dead. It later turned out that the director of 'Ural Dumplings' had suffered heart failure. Among the authors of the collective, there were rumors that Lyutikov was afraid he might be fired. The participants of the show admitted that the lawsuits with Netievsky at that time affected his health. "The pressures, emotions, and disputes in business could not help but affect Alexey's well-being...", - wrote 'Ural Dumplings' in the obituary. After Lyutikov, the position of general director was taken by Evgeny Orlov, and then, in 2025, by Mirra Lavlinskaya. **THREATS TO YULIA MIKHALKOVA IN A BASEMENT** Another, this time rather creepy, story was told in her book 'Don't Say No to Men!' by former collective member Yulia Mikhalkova. In 2016, the actress was planning to run for the regional assembly but then, let's say, changed her mind. As Mikhalkova recounted in her memoirs, she was invited for a conversation by one of the influential politicians in Yekaterinburg, who offered her one million euros to withdraw her candidacy. - The meeting took place not in the cozy chairs of a restaurant, not in a safe apartment, but in a basement, in a secret office, practically in a bunker. At the beginning of our conversation, I felt fear because direct threats to "cut into pieces", "send to Magadan" were interspersed with offers of work in the regional government or a seat in the local Duma, - she wrote. According to the former member of 'Ural Dumplings', she did not take the money, but soon after this situation, she abandoned the idea of running and moved to Moscow. **CONFLICT BETWEEN THE BEAUTIES** This story became known only a few years later. Former members of the 'Ural Dumplings' show Yulia Mikhalkova and Stefania-Maryana Gurskaya repeatedly stated in interviews that there was no competition between them. But two years ago, in an interview with 'KP-Yekaterinburg', another beauty of the collective, Ilana, honestly revealed that there were indeed tense relations between Mikhalkova and Gurskaya. - Yulia and Stefania did not get along – Stefania left. There was a case when we performed a number together. Stefa started saying on stage that we were saying something off-script, but it was not funny at all, not like our usual bloopers, but as if she was reprimanding. Yulia did not like that. She told her: "Stef, that's unprofessional!". Stefania-Maryana Gurskaya herself recounted that she left 'Ural Dumplings' because she wanted career growth. It is worth noting that soon after, Yulia Mikhalkova, according to her, left for the same reason. **FIGHT AT THE WEDDING** And what about the male half of the collective? Many of the participants of 'Ural Dumplings' have been friends since the team's games in KVN. But even among them, there can be quarrels. One such case even escalated into a fight... Actor Andrey Rozhkov recounted this in 2023 in an interview with host Andrey Predelin. The incident happened back in 1995 – at Dmitry Brekotkin's wedding. During the celebration, Andrey Rozhkov, who was the witness, got into a fight with another actor from the collective - Sergey Isaev. - If there is no fight at the wedding, then the wedding was unsuccessful, - Rozhkov joked later. - I don't remember what the fight was about. We probably got drunk. Somehow, word led to word... We were hot-headed, young. I remember that my sleeve was torn off. But that didn't upset me. I put it back on and went on. It is worth noting that there are no tense relationships among the participants of the collective now. However, since 2018, Andrey Rozhkov and Vyacheslav Myasnikov have been touring separately from the collective and only participate in the premiere shows of new programs of 'Ural Dumplings' in Yekaterinburg and in the filming of shows in Moscow.