An 82-year-old Russian human rights activist said on Thursday that she had probably been the target of a preplanned attack at a memorial to commemorate victims of the Moscow bombs that killed 39 people.
Video footage shows a man striking Lyudmila Alexeyeva across the head as she gave media interviews after laying flowers on the station platform at Park Kultury metro station late on Wednesday, the site of one of the two blasts.
"I think it was an order from some organization, because there cannot be any personal motivation as I do not know that person," said Alexeyeva, a Soviet-era dissident and founder of the country's oldest rights group, the Moscow Helsinki Group.
"Everything is fine now, I feel well," she told Reuters. "The strike was not a serious one."
Images of the elderly Alexeyeva being detained at an anti-Kremlin protest on New Year's Eve —dressed as the Snegurochka, the traditional Russian female helper to the Slavic version of Santa Claus — made headlines around the world and drew condemnation from the European Union and the U.S. White House.
Alexeyeva, one of the only critics from the Soviet Union who remains active in confronting Russia's current leadership, has helped organize monthly protests of Kremlin critics on the last day of each month to highlight official efforts to silence them.
"You're still alive? B---h!" Alexeyeva's assailant shouted before being wrestled to the ground.
Oleg Orlov of the Memorial rights group was standing beside Alexeyeva when she was struck and shouted, "Beast, provocateur, grab him!"
Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday that police had detained the man. But on Thursday Moscow police declined to say if he would face charges.
"We are checking the information and we do not want to give any comments at the moment," a spokesman said.
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