Valery Nikolaev: wife, children. Personal life

Childhood and youth

The actor was born in Moscow on August 23, 1965 under the zodiac sign Virgo. As a child, Valery was professionally involved in artistic gymnastics and was going to take the CMS exams, but he received a serious injury, after which he had to forget about his sporting achievements. He did not even think about a career as an actor; the fate of a sea captain or a racer seemed more attractive to him.

Valera's interest in her future profession appeared at school, when teachers began to involve the boy in improvised performances and open lessons with elements of amateur theater performances.

Valery Nikolaev with his parents

In 1982, Nikolaev tried to enroll in several theater universities at once, but failure awaited him. The parents persuaded their son to apply to the Forestry Institute, where his father taught. The young man devoted a year of his life to studying at this educational institution and finally realized that his soul was in the theater.

In 1983, he again applied to several theater institutes and was enrolled in a course with Oleg Tabakov at the Moscow Art Theater School; upon graduation in 1990, he was accepted into the troupe of the Moscow Art Theater named after A.P. Chekhov. Nikolaev studied with Philip Yankovsky, Evgeny Mironov, Alena Khovanskaya, Vladimir Mashkov, Irina Apeksimova.

Valery Nikolaev in his youth

After completing his first year at the theater, the future star of TV series and cinema had to leave his studies for a while - he was drafted into the army. Upon returning to civilian life, Nikolaev decided to continue studying acting.

In the late 80s, Valery went to America for an internship twice. In 1989, he studied jazz and tap at the University of Florida and the University of Sarasota, where he received degrees in dance. The actor professionally dances step and rock and roll. His external data (height 178 cm, weight 74 kg), talent and skill allow him to do this with ease. These skills were useful to him in his career. One of Nikolaev’s first film appearances was an episode in the comedy “Shirley Myrli”, where he and his wife Irina Apeksimova perform tap dancing.

Valery Nikolaev in America

The artist continued his studies in America at the Julliard School in New York, the Barbican Center - an acting school, and the McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey. Valery Nikolaev is called one of the few Russian actors in demand both in Russia and abroad.

In addition to his acting career, Nikolaev is also pursuing his career as a choreographer. His talent was embodied in 5 productions of the Moscow Art Theater. Later, Valery participated in the creation of the musical “My Fair Lady” as a choreographer of dance numbers.

Gossip Man calendar: cosmopolitan actor Valery Nikolaev

Valery Nikolaev On August 23, 1965, the future famous Russian actor Valery Nikolaev was born in Moscow.
As a child, Valery was seriously involved in sports. By high school, he managed to achieve good results in gymnastics and was even preparing to take the candidate for master of sports, but unexpectedly broke his arm. Therefore, he had to give up big-time sports. The time has come to think about your future destiny. Moreover, as a child, whoever he dreamed of being, he did not think about an acting career:

I dreamed of being a scout, an astronaut, a sea captain, a racer, an Olympic champion in gymnastics. I didn’t think about becoming an artist at all; it seemed to me that artists were really killed in films. “This is such a difficult job,” I thought.

Valery remembers his childhood years with great pleasure: I had a happy childhood! It took place in the area of ​​the River Station. A large courtyard, which was divided into seniors and juniors. The older ones built the hockey rink, the younger ones cleared the snow there and were responsible for pouring the ice. Authority in the courtyard was earned through football or hockey. They united the entire court in conflicts with other courts. But these conflicts were also mostly sports. They played Indians on the sawdust mountains. We swam in the canal and fished in it. Now, unfortunately, everything has changed.

At the school where the future actor studied, the Russian language and literature teacher constantly organized theatrical lessons. The guys staged performances based on various works. Valery liked it, and he decided to try himself in the acting field. And it turns out he’s quite good at it.

In one of his first roles - in the film "Niagara"

“Nastya” After graduating from school, Valery applied to several theater universities at once, including the famous Moscow Art Theater School. The first attempt was unsuccessful. Valery failed everywhere. But the young man immediately entered the Forestry Engineering Institute to become an economist. But, after studying for a year, Valery realized that he had neither the ability nor the desire for economics, and he again applied to theater universities. Again, failure awaited him everywhere, and only in that very Moscow Art Theater School-Studio, which he initially diligently bypassed, did luck smile on him. At the Moscow Art Theater School, Valery Nikolaev attended an experimental course for actor Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov. Evgeny Mironov, Vladimir Mashkov, and Irina Apeksimova studied with him. Subsequently, Irina became the wife of Valery Nikolaev and gave birth to his daughter Dasha on March 14, 1995, who studied ballet for several years and is now going to follow in the footsteps of her parents. But Irina was not Valery’s first wife. When he first entered the Moscow Art Theater in 1983, he met Natalya Pirogova. After his first year, he went to serve in the army for two years, and upon his return he married Natalya. The newlyweds celebrated their “student” wedding with their fellow students in a rented one-room apartment. After some time, their marriage broke up - Valery fell madly in love with his classmate Irina Apeksimova.

“Mama’s Daughter” Dasha with Irina Apeksimova

During his studies, Valery completed an internship at the University of Florida in 1989. In the USA, he studied dance (jazz and tap) and became acquainted with American theater, mainly with Tennessee Williams. After the internship, Nikolaev received a diploma in dance. A year later, Valery visited America again. At Sarasota State University, he again studied dance in various forms - jazz, ballet, modern and others. By the way, one of his early roles was an episode in the film “Shirley Myrli” (1995). There he danced step.

In 1990, Valery Nikolaev graduated from the Studio School and was accepted, together with Irina Apeksimova, into the troupe of the Moscow Art Theater named after A.P. Chekhov. The training received in the USA helped Valery stage five performances on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater as a choreographer, and in 2000 he acted as the director of the ballet part of the musical “My Fair Lady”.

Valery Nikolaev began actively acting in films in the early 1990s. Among his first works were roles in the Ukrainian tragicomedy “Niagara” (1991), the melodrama “A Very Faithful Wife” (1992), the lyrical parable “Nastya” (1993), the melodrama “Love by Order” (1993) and others. At the same time, his collaboration with television began: since 1992, he starred in the series “Little Things in Life.” In 1995, he starred in the films "Male Talisman", "Shirley Myrley" and "The Lonely Player". In the latter, he played the main role - a talented mathematician Mitya, working at a Moscow research institute, who is trying to maintain financial well-being by playing on the races. But his life becomes significantly more complicated when he gets involved with the mafia.

"Niagara"

“Niagara” In the second half of the 1990s, Valery Nikolaev mainly starred abroad, where most often he played “typical” Russians: “The Saint” (with Val Kilmer), “The Insidious Enemy”, “The Turning” (with Sean Penn and Jennifer Lopez), as well as the TV series “The Strip” and “NyDream Team”. In 1999, he released the Russian-Chilean film “Scar”, in which the events take place in the 1980s and can give odds to any “soap opera”. The hero Valery Nikolaeva is a South American student Alberto, studying at a Soviet university, who, on instructions from the State Security Committee, goes home with money to organize assassinations and sabotage. His brother turns out to be at the head of a group of terrorists.

"Saint"

"Turn"

“Scar” In the late 1990s, Valery Nikolaev and Irina Apeksimova starred in the Russian mini-series “Birthday of the Bourgeois”. Nikolaev played the “bourgeois” Vladimir Kovalenko, and Apeksimov played his beloved woman Amina. The series instantly made both actors very popular. But after filming the first season of “Bourgeois,” the acting family suddenly broke up. Only Valery Nikolaev remained in Bourgeois-2. The screenwriters “killed” the heroine Apeksimova, since the separation was so difficult that Irina did not even want to meet with her ex-husband on the same set. After Irina, Valery had affairs with several actresses, including a very long relationship with singer Tatyana Ovsienko. In March of this year, Irina Apeksimova and Valery Nikolaev were seen in a jewelry store on the eve of the “eighth of March” - since then they have been saying that the star couple got back together.

“Birthday of Bourgeois” In the series “Birthday of Bourgeois-2” the hero of Nikolaev has changed a lot. In an interview, the actor admitted: We took a big risk. We were tormented by doubts. There were people in the film crew who said: the audience loved Bourgeois for who he is, if he changes, who will need him? But then we decided: if the situations and character of the new Kovalenko are true, then the viewer will like him even more. But trying to please the public and stupidly exploiting an old screen image is dishonest. The risk paid off, and the second part of the series was no less successful than the first.

“Bourgeois Birthday 2” After the success of “Bourgeois,” Valery Nikolaev became in great demand among directors. In 2002, the comedy “Kino About Cinema” was released, and in 2003, the crime comedy “Don’t Even Think.” In 2003-2004, he played a small role in the series “Russians in the City of Angels”, Viktor Bystroletov in the adventure television series by Oleg Pogodin “The Motherland is Waiting”, Anton Polskikh in the series “Dear Masha Berezina”, Shah in the series Next 3, as well as in the series “Balzac’s age, or All men are their own... The best holiday.” At the same time, two German films were released at once, in which Valery Nikolaev played the main roles - a fantastic action movie about an alien invasion, “Ice Planet” (2003) and a melodrama about the Russian illegal immigrant Alexei, who met the Indian illegal immigrant Nisha at the Frankfurt airport, “The Road to clouds".

"Dear Masha Berezina"

"Cinema about cinema"

"Road to the Clouds"

“Road to the Clouds” Several Hollywood projects followed. In 2004, together with Tom Hanks, he played a small role in the film Terminal, and in 2005, in the political action film Mirror Wars: The First Reflection. In 2006, he played one of the main roles along with Natalia Oreiro in the television series "RiWitch". In this film, he played journalist Ivan, known for his passion for social events and public scandals. One day, his boss sends him to investigate the nature of mysterious phenomena occurring in a remote, provincial town. As you can guess, Ivan was not at all happy about this.

"Terminal"

"Mirror Wars: First Reflection"

"Witch"

In addition, Valery Nikolaev has two directorial works to his credit - “Bear Hunt” (2007) and “Fights: Recruiter” (2010). For the film “Bear Hunt” he received an award at the Golden Phoenix Film Festival for best debut as a director. According to the plot, Oleg Grinev, nicknamed the Bear (Nikolaev trusted only himself to play his role), has been working at the stock exchange for many years and knows how everything works there. At some point he starts a big game in which he doesn't just want to make a lot of money. His main goal is to create conditions for the revival of the economy of the new Russia and at the same time avenge the death of his father.

“Bear Hunt” In 2008, with the participation of Nikolai, several projects appeared on the screen at once - the melodrama “On the Roof of the World”, the melodrama “Egoist” and the crime drama “Answer Me” (in both of them Valery again played a successful businessman), the melodrama “Blue as the Sea” eyes" and the detective series "Photographer". In the latter, Valery played fashion photographer Kirill Bazhenov, who wants to photograph pop stars, politicians, and famous athletes. But Kirill unwittingly finds himself drawn into criminal situations in which the heroes of his photographs find themselves. He often takes part in the investigation of complicated stories together with his friend, investigator Alexei Molchanov. In 2009, together with Alexander Lazarev Jr. and Anastasia Zavorotnyuk, he played in the road drama “Artifact,” and with Elena Dobrovolskaya in the melodrama “Clever Girl, Beauty.” In 2010, he took part in his first Bollywood project - the TV series "Indus", where the main roles were played by Marat Basharov and Egor Beroev.

"Answer me"

"Eyes as blue as the sea"

“Clever, Beautiful” In addition, it is worth noting Valery’s participation in the comedy “On the Hook!”, in which Rita (Ekaterina Vilkova) decides to take revenge on her ex-boyfriend by making his fiancee’s brother fall in love with her. But there is a “small” catch: no one knows what this mysterious brother looks like; we only know that he is interested in diving and travels to Thailand from time to time. Therefore, the determined Rita, together with the journalist Kostya, goes in search of him to the distant island of Tao. In addition, in 2011, he starred in the international project “The Salamander Key”, in which the plot was built around an impending global catastrophe.

Together with singer Zara and actor Alexei Guskov, he played in the film “White Sand”. The film tells the story of a controlled drug delivery that was carried out by Soviet customs officials in close contact with US intelligence agencies. At the same time, Alexander Vetrov (Valery Nikolaev), while performing a combat mission in Afghanistan, was captured by dushmans. The only chance for him to return to his homeland is to accompany the caravan with the cargo of his “master,” which is also accompanied by the special services.

“White Sand” On November 8, 2012, with the participation of Valery Nikolaev, the film “1812: The Ulan Ballad” should be released, which also stars Sergei Bezrukov, Anna Chipovskaya, Anton Sokolov and Olga Kabo. As you can guess from the title, the events of this film take place in 1812 - on the eve of the decisive battle of Borodino, Napoleon's secret agent steals a battle plan, which Mikhail Kutuzov learns about. He sends the three most dashing lancers to Poland to intercept, where Napoleon's stormy romance with Countess Walewska unfolds. We once again congratulate Valery Nikolaev on his birthday and wish him endless creative inspiration!

Movies

After completing the course under the guidance of Oleg Tabakov, the aspiring artist had several film roles, but these films did not bring him fame. The most recognizable project of that time was the film “Nastya” directed by Georgy Danelia, where Nikolaev starred in the title role along with Polina Kutepova.

Valery Nikolaev in his youth

Russian viewers also remember the young artist for his role in the popular soap opera “Little Things in Life,” where Valery got used to the image of entrepreneur Gosha, Katya’s wife (Irina Apeksimova). Next came work in the crime drama “The Lonely Player,” where Nikolaev again shone in the foreground. The hero, an adventurer by nature, managed to build a chain thanks to which he becomes the owner of winnings at the races. But his dishonest behavior leads to the money going to racketeers. A star tandem was selected on the screen - Andrei Sokolov, Olga Mashnaya, Vladimir Ilyin, Bogdan Stupka, Alexey Guskov, Anton Tabakov.

Valery Nikolaev in the film “The Lonely Player”

Towards the end of the 90s, Valery was looking for himself in Hollywood, where he mainly got the roles of “typical” Russians. Among the foreign films with his participation: “The Saint” with Val Kilmer, “Aberration”, “U Turn” with Jennifer Lopez, Sean Penn and Jon Voight. Nikolaev also appeared in several episodes of famous American TV series.

The actor knows Tom Hanks, Val Kilmer, Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, and has worked with Oliver Stone, Steven Spielberg, and Philip Noyce.

Valery Nikolaev in the film “Birthday of the Bourgeois”

Nikolaev became widely known in Russia in 1999, after the release of the serial film “Birthday of the Bourgeois”. In 2001, the sequel to this series was no less successful, which firmly established the actor in the rank of popular TV stars; his photos began to regularly appear on the covers of magazines.

An interesting experience was the work of an actor in Valery Rubinchik’s tragicomedy “Cinema about Cinema”. In the film, Nikolaev’s hero, director Vitaly, confronts producer Nikolai Zhiltsov, played by Fyodor Bondarchuk.

Valery Nikolaev with Natalia Oreiro

In the early 2000s, Valery had several successful projects in the adventure-detective genre, including foreign ones, and in 2006 the series “In the Rhythm of Tango” was released. In this multi-part melodrama, the actor starred together with Natalia Oreiro, an Argentine singer and actress who, after the successful broadcast of the TV series “Rich and Famous” and “Wild Angel”, became the favorite of Russian women. The project was successful and caused a new wave of interest in the actor among the Russian-speaking audience.

Valery Nikolaev in the film "Bear Hunt"

After the success of “In the Rhythm of Tango,” Valery Nikolaev plunged headlong into creativity, trying himself as a director of the film “Bear Hunt.” For this work, he received the Golden Phoenix Film Festival award as the best debut director.

At the same time, the premiere of the Russian horror film “The Witch” based on Nikolai Gogol’s work “Viy” starts. And again Valery Nikolaev transforms into the main character. This time it's a successful journalist who accidentally encounters an unknown force.

Valery Nikolaev in the film “The Witch” (film adaptation of “Viya”)

In 2008, the actor opened his own production studio. In 2011, Valery Nikolaev tried himself as a screenwriter and director of the historical project “Fights: Recruiter”. In a creative duet with Evgenia Dobrovolskaya, the artist starred in the melodrama “Clever, Beautiful,” which was later shown on Ukrainian and Russian television.

In the period from 2009 to 2020, it is worth noting the actor’s performance in the films “White Sand”, “A Perfect Murder”, “Lone Wolf”, “1812: The Uhlan Ballad”, “Double Life” and others. In 2010, Nikolaev played a supporting role in the comedy “On the Hook!”, where the main character mistook him for an eccentric millionaire diver.

Valery Nikolaev in the film “Cult”

In February 2020, the premiere of the series “Cult” took place in Russia, where Valery starred together with Tatyana Arntgolts and Dmitry Maryanov. The film is about people falling under the influence of totalitarian sects, and only their relatives, united among themselves, manage to save these victims. The artist tried his hand at a melodramatic comedy, playing the main role in the film “The Call Husband.”

Valery Nikolaev films on TV

A television

In the winter of 2008, the actor was a participant in the second season of the show “Circus with the Stars.” Among his rivals were Anita Tsoi, Timur Batrutdinov, Natalya Podolskaya, Irina Lachina. According to the results of the final, Valery Nikolaev and Irina Chashchina became the leaders of the second season of the television project.

Valery Nikolaev in the show “Circus with the Stars”

Spectators remembered the artist's participation in this show for his bright clown antics and flexibility during the performance of aerial acrobatics. In his youth, the artist dreamed of becoming an Olympic champion in gymnastics, but left the sport due to a broken arm; decades later, his skills were useful for winning a circus show.

Valery Nikolaev and Maria Petrova

In 2014, Valery tried his hand at the Ice Age project, becoming a partner with Maria Petrova. But Nikolaev failed to repeat the success of the “Circus with the Stars” project; he injured his knee during one of the rehearsals, and the couple dropped out of the list of participants. This season, Maria Petrova left the project along with her partner.

Personal life

The personal life of Valery Nikolaev is connected with the names of several famous actresses. Nikolaev entered into his first marriage with actress Natalya Pirogova, with whom he studied together in the same year at a theater university. Since 1987, the actor dated Irina Apeksimova, who became his second wife. A daughter, Daria, was born into the family. Later, the girl, like her parents, chose the acting path and graduated from the Moscow Art Theater School, the workshop of Dmitry Brusnikin.

Valery Nikolaev and Natalya Pirogova

In 2000, the marriage broke up, and Nikolaev began an affair with actress Daria Poverennova, which lasted three years. This connection was actively discussed by the public as the reason why Valery left his family.

In one of the interviews, after breaking up with her partner, Poverennova said that at the time mutual feelings arose, she and Nikolaev had already ended their previous relationship, although they did not document this. The actress also said that after the end of her relationship with Valery, she lived for another two years in the hope that everything could be returned.

Valery Nikolaev and Daria Poverennova

The reason for the breakup with Daria was Nikolaev’s new love. At that time, he was already living in a civil marriage with singer Tatyana Ovsienko, the fairy tale lasted for 4 years, but this love story also ended in 2007, securing the actor’s fame as a heartthrob.

Valery Nikolaev and Irina Apeksimova

Nikolaev’s next official passion was considered to be his colleague in the play “Dear Pamela” Lyubov Tikhomirova; their romance lasted only a year and ended with another broken woman’s heart. In an interview, the theater and film actress did not hold back her critical remarks about the character of her former lover.

Valery Nikolaev and Lyubov Tikhomirova

From time to time, the press actively discussed the resumption of Nikolaev’s relationship with his ex-wife Irina Apeksimova. The actors did not comment on their relationship, but they were often seen together. The reason for meetings and shopping trips, which journalists presented as signs of reconciliation of the former spouses, was the joint education of their daughter Daria. The father always actively participated in the girl’s fate.

The actor’s fourth wife in 2014 was aerial gymnast and circus performer on Tsvetnoy Boulevard Elmira Zemskova. Valery got married after 5 years of relationship, complaining that the reason for the delay was his beloved’s constant tours. The family had plans for children and a happy future. But after two years of married life, the couple began a difficult period. There were rumors that in the spring of 2016, Elmira Zemskova filed for divorce.

Valery Nikolaev and Elmira Zemskova

The actor commented on this event in two ways, either confirming his return to his bachelor status or refuting it. Just at this time, the star of the series “Bourgeois’s Birthday” found himself at the center of a scandal with an accident and the deprivation of a driver’s license. In 2020, in a long interview, Zemskova confirmed the falsehood of the information about her separation from her husband.

Scandals

The actor’s biography in recent years has been largely connected not with his creative achievements, but with the scandalous situations in which Valery constantly finds himself. In 2014, Nikolaev caused a brawl at the circus, where the international circus festival “Idol” was taking place at that time. Several times in a jeep, the artist tried to drive along the overpass into the building, and then, while already at the performance, he went on stage in order to force Edgard Zapashny to apologize to Elmira over the phone for a long-standing conflict. The actor had to be escorted out with security.

Actor Valery Nikolaev caused a scandal at the circus

Crossing the half-century mark in life was not easy for the actor; from February to June 2020, Valery Nikolaev found himself at the center of a scandal involving violation of traffic rules and an accident with a hit-and-run. The graduate of the Moscow Art Theater School behaved as if he was trying on a new role, which he later wrote about in an address to fans and the public.

Nikolaev’s misadventures began with his car being put on the wanted list. A Subaru Forester matching the description hit a pedestrian and fled the scene of the accident shortly before the incident in the center of the capital, where on February 25, 2020, the actor rammed several cars and hit a traffic police officer.

Valery Nikolaev got into an accident

A criminal case was initiated against Valery Nikolaev under Part 1 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Use of violence against a representative of the authorities.” Later, the star's lawyer said that the case had been reviewed and no criminal prosecution was underway.

The story did not end there; on May 6, 2020, Nikolaev was deprived of his driving license for driving into oncoming traffic; he had committed a similar offense a month earlier, so the sentence was doubled. The offender did not have the right to drive for a whole year, but already on May 10, 2020, traffic police officers stopped the previously mentioned Subaru Forester, and the owner of the vehicle was driving. For this violation, Nikolaev was arrested for 15 days.

Valery Nikolaev denies all accusations

Less than two weeks after serving his sentence, the repentant offender published a video in which he apologized to police officers, fans, and his wife. He cited severe stress and nervous tension as the reasons for this behavior. According to the artist, his life will not repeat such turns now, since he realized his own mistakes. After the accident story, the actor’s video address to the audience with an apology was the logical conclusion of his problems with the law.

Valery Nikolaev in the program “Alone with Everyone”

With the participation of the artist, after the trial, the “Live Broadcast” program with Boris Korchevnikov was broadcast, in which Valery clarified the current situation. A year earlier, Nikolaev had already appeared on television in the studio of the “Alone with Everyone” program, where he talked with Yulia Menshova. Interestingly, at one time the actor maintained a page on Instagram, but later stopped posting new pictures there.

Problems with the law[ | ]

On the evening of February 25, 2020, Valery Nikolaev, while driving his Subaru Forester, rammed several cars in the center of Moscow, including a traffic police car. While trying to escape, he hit a traffic police officer, but was detained near house No. 8 on Bolshaya Ordynka Street. According to a representative of the Moscow police press service, at the time of his arrest Valery smelled of alcohol, he also did not have a driver’s license or insurance policy, and his car was wanted as a person who had fled the scene of an accident. The actor was also suspected of having hit a woman on Chistoprudny Boulevard the day before and fled the scene[12].

On February 27, 2020, according to the decision of the Presnensky District Court of Moscow, Nikolaev was arrested for ten days on charges under Part 1 of Article 19.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (“Disobedience to a lawful order of a police officer...”)[13]. The actor did not admit his guilt in the offense and left the courtroom without permission before a decision was made to find him guilty. In the evening of the same day, according to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the city of Moscow, the location of the offender was established, he was detained and taken to a special detention center[14] in Mnevniki to serve an administrative sentence. The period of Nikolaev’s arrest was calculated from 22:30 (Moscow time) on February 25, 2020. An internal investigation was ordered against the police officers who let Valery Nikolaev out of the courtroom[15].

On March 23, 2020, after leaving the pre-trial detention center, the actor took part in the public talk show “Live” with Boris Korchevnikov on the Rossiya-1 TV channel under the title “Rebirth of the Bourgeois.” Valery Nikolaev left the pre-trial detention center,” where he tried to explain what happened to him on the eve of his arrest. He faces up to ten years in prison. The police officers who participated in the arrest of Valery Nikolaev, Major Eduard Peregudov and Captain Pavel Davydov, also presented their version of events[16].

On March 24, 2020, a Subaru Forester crossover driven by Valery Nikolaev was stopped by traffic police inspectors in 2nd Krestovsky Lane in Moscow for driving into the oncoming lane. An administrative protocol has been drawn up against the actor under the article of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation “Driving in violation of traffic rules into a lane intended for oncoming traffic.” The consideration of the offense was scheduled for March 29, 2020[17][18], but the actor did not appear for the trial at the traffic police[19].

On April 4, 2020, the judge of the magistrate court district No. 370 of the Tverskoy district of Moscow found Valery Nikolaev guilty of violating part 4 of article 12.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (“Driving in violation of the Traffic Rules on a lane intended for oncoming traffic, or on tram tracks in the opposite direction...” ) and sentenced him to deprivation of the right to drive a vehicle for a period of six months. According to the judge, Nikolaev has recently committed more than twenty traffic violations[20].

On April 5, 2020, due to evasion of appearing before the investigative authorities, Valery Nikolaev was forcibly brought for questioning to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the city of Moscow[21]. According to the senior assistant to the head of the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the city of Moscow, Yulia Ivanova, a criminal case has been opened against Nikolaev for hitting a police officer on February 25, 2020, when the actor was driving a Subaru Forester car near Nikitsky Boulevard in Moscow refused the legitimate demand of police officers to present documents:

“...Then, wanting to escape, the driver hit a traffic police inspector, causing the latter bodily harm in the form of multiple bruises and abrasions. He is suspected of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Use of violence against a representative of the authorities.”[22]

— Yulia Ivanova, senior assistant to the head of the Main Investigation Department of the RF Investigative Committee for the city of Moscow.

A person convicted under this article (Part 1 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) is punishable by a fine in the amount of up to two hundred thousand rubles or in the amount of wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to eighteen months, or by forced labor for a term of up to five years, or by arrest for a term up to six months, or imprisonment for a term of up to five years.

According to Yulia Ivanova, after interrogation at the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the city of Moscow and the initiation of a criminal case against Valery Nikolaev, a preventive measure was chosen in the form of a written undertaking not to leave the place and proper behavior[23][24].

In turn, the suspect’s lawyer stated that Nikolaev did not commit any hit-and-run and there is no criminal prosecution against him:

“There is a certain interpretation of the events within the framework of the traffic accident, but I believe that from my point of view this is nothing more than an interpretation, and, cooperating with the investigation, I am convinced that in the end, if Valery is punished in some way, then this will be the minimum degree of punishment.”[22]

— , lawyer Valery Nikolaev.

On May 6, 2020, Valery Nikolaev was again deprived of the right to drive a vehicle for a period of six months for driving into the oncoming lane. The first time this happened was on April 4, 2020, for the same violation and for the same period. Thus, the actor is not allowed to drive a car for one year. According to the press secretary of the World Judicial District No. 409 of the Meshchansky District of Moscow, Yulia Bocharova, “Nikolaev was found guilty under Part 4 of Article 12.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (“Driving in violation of traffic rules into a lane intended for oncoming traffic...”), he was assigned punishment in the form of deprivation of a driver's license for a period of 6 months. Since he had previously been deprived of his rights, this period is cumulative”[25].

On May 10, 2020, the actor was stopped by traffic police officers on the Kremlin embankment while driving a Subaru Forester, having been deprived of his driver's license[26][27].

On May 19, 2020, the judge of the magistrate court district No. 370 of the Tverskoy district of Moscow decided to subject Valery Nikolaev to fifteen days of administrative arrest for driving a vehicle after deprivation of his driver's license. The press secretary of the Tverskoy court, Anastasia Dzyurko, said: “Nikolaev was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 12.7 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation (“Driving a vehicle by a driver deprived of the right to drive a vehicle”), he was sentenced to administrative arrest for a period of 15 days.”[28] .

On June 3, 2020, the actor was released after serving fifteen days of arrest in the 2nd special detention center for the detention of persons subject to administrative arrest of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in the city of Moscow[29].

On June 15, 2020, the artist published a video message to fans online, in which he stated:

"Hello! I, Valery Nikolaev, appeal to everyone who has followed the latest events in my life. I'm very guilty. For a long time I was in a state of deep stress, suffered from insomnia and nervous tension. In my mind, apparently, the lives of the characters on the screen and real life were confused, and I could not cope with the role of a normal person. Now specialists are helping me regain my psychological and emotional health. I see and understand that I behaved inappropriately, especially towards police officers who acted within the law. But, in addition, he committed other unworthy acts. I disappointed my fans, upset my wife, and harmed the health of the victim in an accident with my participation. I apologize to everyone I offended and to those who sympathized and supported me during this difficult period. I repent of what I did. I sincerely apologize and declare that nothing like this will happen again. I never had and have no intention of breaking the law or causing harm to anyone. I'm sorry."[30]

— Valery Nikolaev.

Valery Nikolaev now

The latest work in Valery’s filmography to date was the film “Retribution,” which was completed in 2020. In the melodrama, the actor transforms into entrepreneur Pavel, whose business is collapsing. His brother agrees to help, but only in exchange for Pavel’s wife, with whom he has long been in love.

Valery Nikolaev in the film "Retribution"

The film also stars Daria Savelyeva and Ivan Tovmasyan. The premiere screening of the film took place in mid-August 2020 on the Domashny TV channel.