United Russia lawmaker Andrei Isayev was kicked off a flight from St. Petersburg to Moscow for supposedly intoxicated shenanigans, and his party is demanding answers, news reports said Wednesday.
Isayev brandished his deputy's ID while he and his aide yelled at flight attendants before the Tuesday night takeoff, until police removed the two from the plane, TJournal reported, citing Ilya Perekopsky, the deputy chief of social network VKontakte who was on the plane and witnessed the incident.
"Tell your voters how you and your wasted aide made the whole plane wait while police removed you from the St.Pete-Moscow flight," Perekopsky tweeted. The takeoff was delayed by an hour and a half, he said.
Isayev's assistant was fined 100 rubles ($3) by transport police for being intoxicated, Interfax reported.
"We were calmly waiting for takeoff until Isayev and his aide showed up," Perekopsky said. "Judging by their behavior, I would guess they were on some kind of drugs."
United Russia said it would investigate the situation and respond.
"The incident with Andrei Isayev is extremely unpleasant for us," the secretary of the party's general council, Sergei Neverov, said. "Now we are going to ask him to give explanations."
"This incident shall not pass without serious reaction from the party," he added.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
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 every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
