An employee for Russian social network website VKontakte has been attacked in St. Petersburg following posts criticizing the government, the Mediazona news website reported Monday.
The man was beaten by two strangers who accused him of being a “national traitor, Jew and fifth columnist” as he arrived at his apartment block on Sunday evening. The attackers also stole the man's phone, bank cards and money, leaving him with three broken fingers.
He said that he did not know of any motive behind the attack, but said that he had posted criticism of the authorities on the social network on several ?€?one-off cases,?€? Mediazona reported.
The case follows a similar incident on June 9 when the administrator of anti-Kremlin VKontakte group The Criminal Authority, Yegor Aleekseyev, was also attacked, Mediazona reported. Aleekseyev, who suffered a broken nose and concussion, said that he had been receiving threats for his political views.
Independent State Duma deputy Dmitry Gudkov claimed on his Facebook page last month that such attacks were becoming a trend in St. Petersburg. He said that the details of Russians expressing alternative political were being posted on the whoiswhos.me website, leading them to receive threats sometimes physical attacks.
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.