MOSCOW, June 4 (RAPSI) - Defense attorneys for Pavel Dmitrichenko and Yury Zarutsky, who stand accused of having organized and carried out an acid attack against Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin, will demand a reappraisal of Filin's health, Izvestia daily reported Tuesday, citing lawyer Nokolai Polozov

The defense was reportedly dissatisfied with the poor assessment of his condition.

The defense attorneys immediately showed their copies of the appraisal to experts, said Polozov, who represents Zarutsky. The experts noticed a series of discrepancies between the medical opinions given by the Russian and the German physicians in the report.

According to the lawyer, this suggests that one of the reports may be biased. An additional appraisal could help resolve these suspicions, he added.

The lawyer representing the third suspect, Andrei Lipatov, confirmed that the appraisal results cannot be legitimate in accordance with the Healthcare Ministry's requirements because the doctors did not actually examine the victim. "The appraisal was based on documents sent from Germany, which still have not been authenticated," lawyer Sergei Zhorin said.

Filin suffered third-degree burns to his face and eyes on January 17 when assailants attacked him with what is believed to have been concentrated acid. Shortly after the attack, a Bolshoi Theater spokesperson confirmed that Filin had been sent various threats of late. Filin said the aim of the attack may have been to remove him from his position as artistic director and to destroy the prestigious Moscow ballet company's reputation.

Three men were arrested in March in connection with the attack, including the theater's star solo dancer Dmitrichenko, the alleged attacker Zarutsky and driver Lipatov.

Dmitrichenko, 29, confessed to the police that he had organized the attack, but said he did not know that the perpetrator planned to use acid. The assault was reportedly motivated by Dmitrichenko's desire to avenge his girlfriend, a fellow dancer who had not been selected by Filin for key roles in the Bolshoi's productions.

A forensic medical appraisal in May established that the victim has sustained grave bodily injury, which means that, if convicted, the three men face up to 12 years in prison.