Overnight, Alexander Molochnikov’s world was flipped upside down when his home country, Russia, invaded Ukraine in 2022. Life felt as though it stopped for Molochnikov, and his life has never been the same since.
A few months after the invasion, Molochnikov was accepted to Columbia University to study film. But at that point, he didn’t know that moving to the United States and posting on social media in support of Ukraine would mean he could never return to his country.
“You just wake up in a shock,” he said. “You want to delay the real understanding of it.”
Now Molochnikov, 34, has lived in the U.S. for almost four years. And in his time here, he realized what was missing – theater.
Leaving behind a successful directing career in Russia, Molochnikov missed his passion.
So, he created a play, which took over three years to produce, called “Seagull, True Story,” an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s play. Molochnikov’s story is loosely based on his experience right after the war began, and is currently playing at The Public Theater until May 3, 2026.
The project began in an abandoned office, where the original focus was just an adaptation of the play “Seagull.” But after multiple runs, Molochnikov realized this needed to be different, which is when he decided to create a new narrative.
The show is divided into two acts – the first in Russia right after the war began, and the second in the U.S.
The first act dove into how life went on after Feb. 24, 2022, the day Russia invaded Ukraine.
“We tried our best to show that moment in the play,” he said. “That feeling that life sort of stopped for a second.”
In the first act, Molochnikov’s character, Kon, is directing the play Seagull, but when the war begins, Russians are in a state of unease, as they understand that their country is beginning to bomb their neighbors.
“To imagine that your country to be bombing those other cities, it was so unimaginable,” Molochnikov said.
As the show progressed, Kon’s play began to have restrictions placed, such as the word “freedom” was no longer allowed to be said. Additionally, Kon began to receive death threats, causing him to leave the country, only letting his friend Anton know.
The first act was created through trial and error, but as Molochnikov spent more time in the U.S., the second act, set in New York City, came to him.
Photo by Emma Delahanty
A lost Kon seeks a spot in the bustling city, but home keeps calling. As his mom continues to update him on how life is back at home. Anton is sent to jail and later dies in the play.
The character Anton is based on many people Molochnikov knows in Russia who face similar fates. Molochnikov knows of a playwright and director who were both arrested.
“We were friends, and are friends, and to realize that she was doing the same thing I was doing and was arrested is insane,” he said.
But Molochnikov is not alone, as his story rings a similar bell to that of the executive producer of the show, Sofia Kapkov.
Winning the green card lottery in the early 2010’s, Kapkov took her children and left Russia just three days after the war began.
“My country was killing my neighbors and in spite of the fact that of being a producer in my life, I am first and full a mother,” she said.
Years earlier, Kapkov founded the American nonprofit MART, which produces contemporary performances globally.
Molochnikov came to Kapkov, 47, for help, but she wasn’t ready to take on a project during a time of pain in her life. But after months of thinking, she finally decided to join the project.
“Their universal human story about laughing, betrayal I think very relevant and timely,” she said. “You know actors are relieving our lives on stage.”
But as the two fled the war to come to the U.S., they currently face a similar conundrum they faced four years ago. On Feb, 28, 2026, the U.S. and Israel launched missile strikes on Iran.
While both Russia and the United States are at war, a key difference is seen between the countries: freedom of speech. Russia has censored many outlets, limited access to WhatsApp and social media platforms. Leading those around the world to say Russia is creating a “digital iron curtain.”
“I have hopes for this country, and America is even younger than the Volkov theater in Moscow. So, I think we are like teenagers, we are trying to figure it all out.” Kapkov said. “I have no hope for Russia. What Putin did to my country he destroyed the lives of at least two generations.”
As the screening of the play at The Public Theater is coming to an end, Kopkav and Molochnikov have plans to work with each other in the future.
To see “Seagull, True Story,” go to The Public Theater website for tickets.