Support The Moscow Times!

British Journalist Beaten and Robbed

A British sportscaster for Russia Today television was in a hospital with head injuries Tuesday after being robbed.

Neil Harvey, 32, was robbed by unidentified assailants near the Orekhovo metro station in southern Moscow at about 12:30 a.m. Friday after leaving a friend's apartment, he said by telephone.

The assailants struck him on the head around 20 times and took some cash from him, said Harvey, who has worked for the state-funded English-language channel since 2005.

"I saw a mirror and couldn't recognize myself," he said, speaking from his hospital bed. "My head was twice as large as it normally is."

Doctors have told him that he needs to remain hospitalized for at least three weeks, he said.

Nikolai Malukhin, a spokesman for Russia Today, said the attack was an ordinary robbery. "It was not connected to his work," Malukhin said.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

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