Russian theatre and film director Kirill Serebrennikov has been released on bail after being under house arrest since 2017 on controversial embezzlement charges.

Axar.az reports citing BBC.

The 49-year-old is accused of embezzling about $2m (£1.5m) in public money from a theatre project.

Mr Serebrennikov has been a prominent critic of arts censorship in Russia.

He maintains his innocence and his supporters say the case is politically motivated.

Mr Serebrennikov's co-defendants Sofia Apfelbaum and Yury Itin were also freed from house arrest on Monday, while a fourth defendant, Alexei Malobrodsky, was released last May.

The director can now work and communicate freely as long as he stays in Moscow.

"He can leave the apartment, he will be able to work, but he cannot go beyond Moscow," Mr Serebrennikov's lawyer, Dmitry Kharitonov, said following the ruling.

"There are no limits on his communication."

The case against Mr Serebrennikov has sparked outcry in Russia's arts world, with his supporters arguing that the director is being persecuted as part of a government crackdown on artistic freedoms.