×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

No Charges in Attack on Volunteer Firefighters

Greenpeace Russia

An investigation into a violent attack on environmental activists has ended without any arrests or charges, according to reporting by OVD-info.

In September 2016, eight men assaulted environmental activists from Greenpeace and Ecological Watch who were working as volunteer firefighters in the Krasnodar region of Russia. The assailants slashed car tires and even threw a flash-bang grenade into an activist's vehicle.

Some of the activists were beaten so badly they suffered a broken nose and broken ribs. In the most violent incident, a volunteer firefighter was thrown to the ground and had a gun pointed at him.

Police subsequently opened an investigation for theft, inflicting bodily harm and attempted murder. However, the attempted murder charges were eventually dropped after investigators reportedly failed to establish the suspect's identity.

The police continued their investigations into the assault for eight months. However, after documents related to the two other criminal charges were turned over to the prosecutor's office in March, they went missing. The cases were subsequently halted.

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.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more