The magistrate of Court District No. 1 of the Oktyabrsky District of Ivanovo ruled on September 9 that Artyom Potapenko, a deputy in the Ivanovo Regional Duma from the United Russia party, must pay 5,000 rubles under Part 1 of Article 5.61 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which covers insult. Aleksei Mashkevich, editor-in-chief of the outlet Slukhi i Fakty, told 7x7 about the ruling.
Mashkevich said the attack took place on July 17 in central Ivanovo. According to him, Potapenko and an assistant tore off and trampled his glasses, slapped him several times, pushed him in the chest and spat in his face twice. The journalist also says the deputy called him an insulting word and threatened to rape him.
In his testimony, as reported by 7x7, Potapenko confirmed that he removed Mashkevich's glasses, slapped him, spat at him and insulted him. The deputy denies, however, that the attack was connected to the editor's journalistic work.
Mashkevich believes his professional activity was the reason: Slukhi i Fakty had published material about noise from a facility run by a textile company headed by Potapenko, and about the practice of paying "gray" salaries there.