Support The Moscow Times!

2 Jailed for Brawl in Kondopoga

A Karelian court on Tuesday convicted two men for their role in a fight that led to ethnic riots in the town of Kondopoga last year and sentenced them to prison terms.

The Kondopoga City Court convicted Sergei Mozgalev and Yury Pliyev of hooliganism for attacking an Azeri bartender in the town's Chaika restaurant in August, Interfax reported. Mozgalev, who was also convicted of battery, was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison, while Pliyev received eight months.

Prosecutors had asked that Mozgalev and Pliyev be sentenced to five and 2 1/5 years, respectively.

Mozgalev plans to appeal. But Pliyev's lawyer, Valery Cherkasov, said his client would accept the ruling because he had spent five months in detention. "He will be out in three months," Cherkasov said on Rossia television.

Mozgalev and Pliyev admitted in court Monday that they had attacked and beaten the bartender. The bartender told his employer, who in turn summoned a group of knife-wielding Chechen natives who attacked diners, killing two ethnic Russians. Mozgalev and Pliyev maintained that they did not instigate the fight, Rossia reported.

After the brawl, people armed with Molotov cocktails torched businesses owned by natives of the Caucasus.

Prosecutors have charged former Kondopoga police official Alexander Chechelnitsky with negligence for not taking adequate measures to prevent the riots, Itar-Tass reported Tuesday.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more