This is a random photo of the attack on Dmitry Taralov, who traveled to Magadan as part of our team to work on our anti-corruption election campaign and support the slate headed by Georgy Alburov. Dmitry coordinates the RosZhKH project at our Anti-Corruption Foundation.
It happened at a market, in a crowded public place—two people with their faces hidden by hoods attacked him, struck him several times in the head, and broke his front teeth. All the while they were shouting, “Get the hell back to Moscow!” Dima is now in the hospital with a concussion.
All of this is happening literally the day after the official nomination of the slate.
And all of this is happening two days after the guys went to the police about the threats (and, amazingly, that complaint ended not with the people making the threats being detained, but Alburov instead).
But the most astonishing part came afterward—and is still happening now. Since the attackers’ car had been following our team all day, it was not only quickly found near the scene of the attack, but two people inside were also blocked in there. They climbed into the back seat and are hiding their faces.
We quickly ran the attackers’ license plates. They turned out to be plates from another car that had already been written off as scrap. That is already a crime in itself, and it looks very much like classic police “operational plates” (unofficial cover plates used by law enforcement).
And what does the police do? Pull the offenders out of the car? No—they demand that our people, who are blocking the car, immediately go to the police station and leave it alone.
Look at this—it’s unbelievable:
I wrote right away that I had no doubt the attack was organized by the local authorities themselves—or, more likely, by the police directly:
That is exactly what happened. Alburov and everyone else were forced under threat of violence to leave the scene, unblock the car, and were taken to the police station:
Do you think that’s one of the attackers being escorted into the car? No—it’s our lawyer, Dmitry Kraynev, being forcibly taken away so he cannot see the attackers being helped to escape.
So who, after this, can still doubt that both the threats and the attack were organized by the local Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) on the orders of Governor Pechyony of United Russia?
A real mafia. Bandits.
We will, of course, officially demand that the leadership of the MVD and the FSB shut down this Far Eastern Kushchyovka (a reference to the notorious village associated with organized crime and official complicity), although we fully understand that the central leadership of the “siloviki” (security and law enforcement agencies) are the same kind of thieves and mafia. Nevertheless, all official steps will be taken.
Our team will continue the election campaign in Magadan Oblast, and I am sure it will find support among local residents, who are no less fed up than we are with these United Russia thieves and bandits.