The authors of “Smuta” have been accused of violating labor laws — Cyberia Nova denies everything

"Zemsky Sobor"

This is how the collaboration developed, according to Solyanik-Krasa:

• In his claim, Solyanik-Krasa reported that he joined Cyberia Nova at the end of 2023. According to the specialist, at that time, he did not have his military ID, so the studio chose not to sign an employment contract, offering instead to work under a civil law contract until the document was returned.
• If we believe the promo artist, the civil-law contract was signed only a month after he had actually begun working on "Smuta." Subsequently, Cyberia Nova periodically sent him documents by mail to extend the contract;
• In July 2024, Solyanik-Krasa obtained his military ID back. In his claim, he wrote that he expected to officially become part of the team. Therefore, he reminded the studio of the promise to sign an employment contract. However, Cyberia Nova preferred to avoid the topic and left everything as it was;
• The following summer, the studio sent documents to extend the civil-law contract for the last time. As Solyanik-Krasa pointed out, although the contract was not renewed after that, he was still given work tasks — and paid a salary;
• The collaboration officially ended in February 2026, when Solyanik-Krasa received a call informing him of his dismissal.

Currently, Solyanik-Krasa is asking the court to recognize the relationship between him and Cyberia Nova as employment rather than civil-law. As evidence, he noted in his suit that he worked on a fixed schedule and received a salary for it, not based on the volume of tasks completed. Additionally, he was required to attend meetings, and his name was included in the vacation schedule. Although, allegedly, he never took a vacation and did not receive the due compensation after his dismissal.

Representatives of Cyberia Nova, in a comment to App2Top, refuted the allegations. The studio stated that both parties agreed to cooperate under a civil-law contract because it was the most convenient — particularly due to different time zones. The decision to terminate the collaboration with Solyanik-Krasa was eventually made for a simple reason: the active promotional campaign of "Zemsky Sobor," a spin-off of "Smuta," ended.

Cyberia Nova emphasized that it "always acts strictly within the legal framework," and the civil-law contract was not a way to evade taxes. It paid all due taxes and insurance contributions to the country's treasury, just as it would have if it worked with Solyanik-Krasa under an employment contract.

We present Cyberia Nova’s comment in full:

"Collaboration with Dmitry Solyanik-Krasa was carried out within the framework of civil-law contracts and was related to the implementation of marketing tasks for the "Smuta" and "Zemsky Sobor" projects. This interaction format was chosen by both parties as the most optimal, including considering the contractor's location in a different time zone, which complicated integration into the company's standard work schedule.

The company provided all conditions for the execution of work and the recording of their results in accordance with the terms of the contract. It is important to note that under the civil-law contract, the company fully met its obligations to pay all taxes and insurance contributions, which are identical to deductions under an employment contract.

Since the civil-law format stipulates payment for a specific result, such employment law categories as "reduction" or "vacation pay" do not legally apply to these relationships. The end of cooperation was related to the completion of the active phase of the promotional campaign for the final project, about which the contractor was informed in advance.

The company always acts strictly within the legal framework. We are currently conducting an internal review of all circumstances of the appeal. We will be able to provide more detailed comments after this process is completed."

Source:

"Loyer FM"