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Russian Politician Targeted in Alleged Arson Attack

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A Russian politician has had his apartment torched in an alleged arson attack.

Sergei Shargunov, who represents the Russian Communist party in parliament, said that his home was set on fire on April 21.

Shargunov's father was in the apartment at the time of the attack, the politician wrote on Facebook Friday.

“The fire spread [to my home] from the balcony on the 7th floor,” Shargunov wrote. “Perhaps they broke the glass and threw something. My father was saved by a miracle.”

The politician noted that the attack had taken place soon after parliament had voted on a controversial scheme to demolish many of Moscow's five-story buildings. 

Shargunov was one of just four deputies who voted against the plans.

 He wrote that he had tried not to speak about the incident publicly "for fear of crying wolf," but said information had already leaked into the Russian media.

“All I will say is that I have I appealed to our law enforcement agencies and I hope for a conscientious investigation,” he wrote.

Shargunov was elected to the Russian parliament in the 2016 elections. He has worked as a journalist and a writer, having published 8 books.

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