The editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, Alexei Venediktov, was doused with whiskey during his speech at the Open Dialogues event in St. Petersburg.
As soon as they both entered the stage and sat down in their chairs, two men ran onto the stage and, shouting “Take some whiskey,” poured whiskey on Venediktov. At that moment the third attacker doused the journalist idhumkz behind. After which one of them took the microphone and declared that this was “the “Broom under Whiskey” action” of the [unregistered] party “Other Russia.”
The young people scattered leaflets, accusing Venediktov of having, in their opinion, “betrayed Russia,” after which they were taken away from the stage by security.
YouTube VIDEO: National Bolsheviks attacked Venediktov, pouring whiskey on the editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy
“Calm down, your eyes are intact, despite them (the attackers - note), we will discuss. But you just see these people, you see and you understand that these are your neighbors. They spent money on whiskey, and the whiskey was bad and cheap. They could have made it more expensive for me,” Venediktov himself said.
The whiskey that the Limonovites poured on me turned out to be diluted with water. Apparently they drank half of it before.
— Alexey Venediktov (@aavst)
Novaya Gazeta about the attack.
Boris Grits, who attacked the Ekho Moskvy journalist.
Twitter.com/Vit_Ruvinsky
According to Venediktov, the 48-year-old attacker entered the editorial office silently: “like all our people go for prizes, he turned to the assistants and then ran to the guest room.” Felgenhauer and a guard were there at that moment. Grits immediately stabbed the journalist with a knife.
Alexey Venediktov,
At the cry, my guard and the guard who is sitting here rushed and grabbed him. Five to seven seconds passed. After everything, we called an ambulance and the police.
The attacker was found to have a driver's license issued in Israel.
As Alexey Venediktov reported, the attacker’s name is Boris Yuryevich Grits. The man was born in the Georgian SSR in 1968. The attacker lived in Israel for some time; he received a driver’s license there in 2008. It is also known that the attacker has Israeli citizenship.
Alexey Venediktov,
editor-in-chief of the radio station “Echo of Moscow”:
He had a plan laid out like this, where the arrangement of the rooms was drawn - that part before the security. That is, he has been here before. Just a floor plan drawn. And the inscriptions were made on English language. Some user is there, some user is there, a station is there, and so on.
Grits showed this hand-drawn plan to the guard. According to Venediktov, the plan of the attacker’s rooms was drawn by someone who had already been on the editorial floor.
Alexey Venediktov,
editor-in-chief of the radio station “Echo of Moscow”:
You can know the plan, but not know where the offices for journalists are, where the studio is, where the guest room is. He went straight there.
Venediktov was also alarmed by Boris Grits’ knowledge of where exactly Felgenhauer was.
Alexey Venediktov,
editor-in-chief of the radio station “Echo of Moscow”:
He couldn't have known that Tanya was here at this time, because she shouldn't have been here. She finished her on-air shift at 11 am and at 12:15 we had a meeting between the editor-in-chief and the deputy editor. And this meeting, which was supposed to last an hour and a half, ended 25 minutes earlier. He appeared five minutes later. This is such a strange thing. She shouldn't have been in that room, no way.
This is how he could know that: a) she is at the station; b) that we have run out of something here? He knew something that we didn't.
How the attack went
A man in inconspicuous dark clothes walked unhindered past the guards into the building on Novy Arbat, where the Ekho Moskvy radio station rents premises. He went up to the 14th floor, sprayed pepper spray in the face of the security guard standing at the entrance to the editorial office, and moved towards the reception area. There he met Tatiana Felgenhauer and, without saying a word, stabbed her in the throat. A security officer who arrived in time neutralized the attacker, was wounded, and then he was handed over to the police, writes Lenta.ru.
What's wrong with Tatyana Felgenhauer
When the wounded Tatyana, according to Alexey Venediktov, was taken out of the editorial office by doctors, she was still conscious.
The journalist was taken to the Sklifosovsky Research Institute. Doctors assessed her condition as serious, but not life-threatening.
Sergey Petrikov,
Director of the Sklifosovsky Research Institute:
The fact that the patient was quickly transported and taken to the operating room reduces the risk of further problems.
According to the doctor, the blood loss was not critical, and there is no need for a donor yet. After the operation, Tatyana was put into an induced coma.
Why did Grits attack the journalist?
The suspect in the attack on the journalist, Boris Grits, admitted that he did not know her personally. He said that he had had “telepathic contact” with the victim since 2012. According to him, Tatyana Felgenhauer allegedly stalked him for two months. “Every night, using telepathic contact, she harassed me sexually,” he explained.
Events
Activists from The Other Russia doused the editor-in-chief of the radio station Ekho Moskvy, Alexei Venediktov, with whiskey during the Open Dialogues forum at the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. The incident occurred when Venediktov went on stage to discuss with writer Alexander Prokhanov.
Video of the attack:
How “The Other Russia” activists doused Venediktov with whiskey in St. Petersburg at the beginning of his debate with Prokhanov pic.twitter.com/6ak5m5wJ5O
— Rustem Adagamov (@adagamov) May 21, 2017
The press secretary of The Other Russia, Alexander Averin, explained the actions of his comrades-in-arms as follows:
@aavst :
1 Protest leak in 2011 (whiskey in the Moscow mayor’s office, etc.)
Our complaints about the doused whiskey @aavst :
2. National traitorous position of Echo of Moscow in Crimea and Donbass
— Alexander Averin (@alxaverin) May 21, 2017
Our complaints about the doused whiskey @aavst :
Venediktov’s influence on the investigation into the case of Oleg Mironov, as a result of which his offense was tightened
— Alexander Averin (@alxaverin) May 21, 2017
Oleg Mironov is an activist of The Other Russia who sprayed gas from a can at a concert by Andrei Makarevich in September 2014. In August 2015, Mironov was sentenced to three years, then this sentence was commuted by several months.
Immediately after Venediktov entered the stage, several young people ran out of the hall and poured alcohol on him. Then one of them took the microphone and announced that what had happened was an action by “The Other Russia.” Then the young people were taken from the stage<...>After the activists were taken away from the stage, the conversation between Prokhanov and Venediktov began.
"Jellyfish"
May 22, 13:23 Venediktov commented on the attack on Echo of Moscow:
“I wasn’t afraid. It was unpleasant, because at that moment I, in fact, took the microphone to start my speech. As a former school teacher, I will say that this is the most important entry into a discussion with such a difficult colleague as Mr. Prokhanov. And, of course , they confused me. But, on the other hand, they gave me excitement<...>My lawyers will answer (to the accusations of the National Bolsheviks). I will return to Moscow tomorrow and consult with my lawyers. There are people who were performers - there will be one attitude towards them, as I understand it. There are people who were organizers - they will be treated differently. There are people who are customers - there will be a third attitude towards them.
Actually, what happened? An unregistered political party carried out an attack on the editor-in-chief of one of the well-known media outlets for political reasons, which they do not hide. Let my lawyers work on this<...>
I think that after consulting with lawyers, I will be able to answer you (whether this story will develop in court or the prosecutor's office). Although preliminary telephone conversations with lawyers indicate that such a prospect exists and is quite understandable. If my lawyers say, “Screw them,” then screw them.”<...>
Yes, I will remind you that the only media when Eduard Limonov was imprisoned and when these guys were imprisoned was Ekho Moskvy, which gave the floor to their lawyer and to them. And this will continue. These attacks do not change the editorial policy of the Ekho Moskvy radio station. Actually, this is the goal: to make us change our editorial policy, to make us afraid, to confuse us. Will not work! We will continue to do what we did, including those people who, from our point of view, will be illegally detained by the authorities."
Alexey Venediktov
May 23, 11:45 Venediktov said that he would not contact law enforcement agencies in connection with the attack.
I decided not to go to law enforcement agencies regarding the attack on me in St. Petersburg at the Dialogues in the Open Library.1. The attack was public, no statement is required from me.
Let's look at the actions of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, now this is their responsibility.2. Young people are simply poorly brought up, let their parents work with them (the identities of the attackers, as you understand, have been established).
3. A political organization publicly took responsibility for the attack for political reasons - so let the relevant services deal with them.
4. And, finally, and most importantly, after Oleg Kashin and Alexei Navalny were mutilated (and their offenders were “not found”), I simply do not feel comfortable going there with my incident.
On October 23, an unknown man broke through security into the Ekho Moskvy editorial building, sprayed a gas canister in the guard’s face, climbed to the 14th floor (where the radio station’s editorial office is located) and stabbed journalist and deputy editor-in-chief of the radio station Tatyana Felgenhauer in the throat with a knife.
According to Echo editor-in-chief Alexei Venediktov, an unknown person deliberately attacked the journalist. After which he was detained. Venediktov will ask Gazprom-Media to strengthen security at the radio station.
updated 14:30. Alexey Venediktov's address to radio listeners
— Investigative actions are underway at the editorial office. The police took up this matter very quickly and seriously.
— Tatyana is in the operating room. 4 ambulance teams provided assistance to Tatyana and the security guard.
— Thanks to the colleagues who supported the radio station.
Tatyana Felgenhauer's health status
Tatyana, with wounds in the neck, was taken by ambulance to the Research Institute named after. Sklifosovsky, her condition is stable and serious.
The operation is completed. Felgenhauer is on a ventilator and in a comatose sleep. Her condition is still assessed as serious, there is no threat to life.
update 19:50
According to Novaya Gazeta, the attacker stabbed Tatyana Felgenhauer three times. She defended herself: she grabbed his hands and the knife.
Assailant
The man was detained by radio station security and handed over to the police. During the interrogation, it became clear that the man may have mental problems.
“According to preliminary data, the reason for the incident was personal hostility. The police will consider all versions of what happened. An investigative team is working at the scene of the incident and measures are being taken to establish all the circumstances of the incident,” the department’s press service said.
updated 14:35
Ministry of Internal Affairs: The attacker on the Ekho Moskvy radio station journalist turned out to be a foreigner. Alexey Venediktov named the man in his Telegram channel. His name is Boris Grits.
Assailant. Photo: Facebook of the editor-in-chief of the Echo website Vitaly Ruvinsky
Boris Grits has Israeli citizenship. He received a PhD in physics and mathematics and worked at various times at the University of Jerusalem and the University of California. As Meduza learned, in 2009 he got a job as a researcher at the Russian Hydrometeorological Center and worked there for several years. After that, according to the publication, he studied the atmosphere at Tel Aviv University.
Since 2012, he has been denied employment several times by various organizations.
Updated October 24 12:45
The Presnensky Court of Moscow placed Boris Grits under arrest until December 23. He partially admitted his guilt. According to him, he did not want to kill the journalist.
Diary of the attacker
Users found the diary of a man named Boris Grits on the WordPress website. In the recordings he talks about his hatred of Tatyana Felgenhauer. She allegedly "stalked him telepathically."
“I appeal to her colleagues at work at Ekho Moskvy with a request to influence the behavior of her colleague. I turn to her adoptive father, Pavel Felgenhauer: I hope you have some kind of authority for your daughter and can influence her. In a few weeks I’m coming to Moscow and if this doesn’t stop, the consequences could be very unpleasant,” an entry from Grits’ diary dated September 14, 2017.Official reaction
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office called the incident of the attack on the journalist “egregious” and took control of the case.
The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case under the article “attempted murder.”
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wished Tatyana Felgenhauer a speedy recovery. “We are doing everything to restore health... I am keeping the situation under control,” told Sobyanin on Twitter.
Friends reaction
Photo: Novaya Gazeta Upon learning of the attack on Tatyana Felgenhauer, Mikhail Gorbachev expressed his sincere support for her.
Other attacks on journalists, politicians and activists
- August 20, 2016 last year, two unknown people approached journalist Yulia Latynina on Arbat as she was heading to the Ekho Moskvy studio and poured feces on her. The attackers fled on a motorcycle. July 19, 2017 unknown persons sprayed Latynina’s country house and car with a caustic chemical. As it became known later, the substance is dimethylformamide (DMF) and high molecular weight phthalates. IN September this year unknown persons burned the car of a columnist for Novaya Gazeta and Echo of Moscow. This happened near her country house in Peredelkino, near Moscow.
- IN end of April SERB activist doused the head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation Alexei Navalny with green paint. Politician burns his eye. In May he traveled to Spain where he had surgery on his right eye. A criminal case under Article 116 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Battery” was opened two days after the attack. However, it was later suspended, citing the inability to identify the attacker.
- In Stavropol April 26, 2017 blogger Ilya Varlamov was attacked. At the airport, the journalist was doused with brilliant green, iodine, and pelted with cakes, then struck several times. On the evening of the same day, they doused him with green paint for the second time and tried to ram the car in which the photographer was driving around the city. Varlamov demanded that a case be opened under three articles of the Criminal Code: hooliganism committed by a group of persons (Part 2 of Article 213 of the Criminal Code); intentional destruction of property (part 2 of article 167 of the Criminal Code); obstruction of journalistic activity (part 3 of article 144 of the Criminal Code). However, he was refused.
P.S.
Novaya Gazeta has always been and will always be with its colleagues. We stand in solidarity with the journalists of Ekho Moskvy. Tanya Felgenhauer - health, surgeons - good luck, parents, Lena and Pavel - patience.
A.Plyushchev- About the atmosphere of hatred. The day before, Alexey Venediktov in St. Petersburg was attacked by the National Bolsheviks, so to speak. Now Alexey Alekseevich is in direct contact with us from Amsterdam. We have a few minutes for him to comment on this episode for us, maybe not the most pleasant, and maybe unpleasant, because they poured whiskey on it. Good morning, Alexey Alekseevich.
T. Felgenhauer- Good morning!
A. Venediktov- Good morning, Alexander. Good morning, Tatyana.
T. Felgenhauer- We had several specific questions about the whiskey, because you wrote that it was diluted and cheap. In general, how did you react at first? It’s clear from the video that you, in general, reacted quite calmly, although I don’t know... I would have been scared, to be honest.
A. Venediktov- I wasn't afraid. It was unpleasant, because at that moment I, in fact, took the microphone to start the performance. As a former school teacher, I will say that this is the most important entry into a discussion with such a difficult colleague as Mr. Prokhanov. And, of course, they confused me. But, on the other hand, they gave me excitement.
A.Plyushchev- In their claims under the YouTube video, they write that this is, among other things, for 2011, for protests... Well, why whiskey - because they drank with the authorities and so on. How can you respond to such accusations?
A. Venediktov- My lawyers will answer. I will return to Moscow tomorrow and consult with my lawyers. There are people who were performers - there will be one attitude towards them, as I understand it. There are people who were organizers - they will be treated differently. There are people who are customers - there will be a third attitude towards them.
Actually, what happened? An unregistered political party carried out an attack on the editor-in-chief of one of the well-known media outlets for political reasons, which they do not hide. Let my lawyers work on this.
A.Plyushchev- Do I understand correctly that if one of the possibilities is the further development of this case in court or in the prosecutor's office - in some way?
A. Venediktov- I think that after consulting with lawyers, I will be able to answer you. Although preliminary telephone conversations with lawyers indicate that such a prospect exists and is quite understandable. If my lawyers say, “Screw them,” then screw them.
T. Felgenhauer- It's clear. But you personally, as editor-in-chief, like Alexey Venediktov, you put this attack on a par with attacks on oppositionists, because it is precisely this format of attacks that has recently become: a) popular and b) unpunished, because it’s somehow easy to do are they very concerned?
A.Plyushchev- There is also Yulia Latynina...
T. Felgenhauer- Yes, Yulia Latynina. She was attacked like that.
A. Venediktov- I’m not going to take this lightly, although, of course, next to people who were mutilated, such as Oleg Kashin or the attempted mutilation of Alexei Navalny, this attack, of course, is light, in fact.
But the point is not that - it could just be water - but the point is that this level of violence and intolerance that occurred in a place called “Dialogues”, “ Open Library" This is a different Russia... Is this the kind of Russia you want? No, she is completely different. I live in a different Russia, that’s absolutely certain. So I don't think it should be taken lightly. And we will take a strictly legal route if my lawyers find such an opportunity. Because I don’t want to create PR for this marginal group, these stormtroopers, but, nevertheless, we cannot leave it like this either, because this is a precedent for others.
A.Plyushchev- Surely our listeners would ask if they had the opportunity via SMS: if representatives of this unregistered NBP (banned on the territory of the Russian Federation), including Eduard Limonov, are allowed on the air, what is called, after this?
A. Venediktov- To be honest, I did not see Eduard Limonov’s reaction. Yes, I will remind you that the only media when Eduard Limonov was imprisoned and when these guys were imprisoned was Ekho Moskvy, which gave the floor to their lawyer and to them. And this will continue. These attacks do not change the editorial policy of the Ekho Moskvy radio station. Actually, this is the goal: to make us change our editorial policy, to make us afraid, to confuse us. Will not work! We will continue to do what we did, including those people who, from our point of view, will be illegally detained by the authorities.
T. Felgenhauer― Eduard Limonov has already commented on this attack on his LiveJournal, writing that “why Venediktov - for 2011, because he is worse than the authorities, because the authorities are at least sometimes right” is his comment.
A. Venediktov- I absolutely don’t care about the position of those people who comment on this, it’s absolutely violet. I repeat once again: neither my position nor the editorial position will change. The wrong one was attacked!
A.Plyushchev- Thanks a lot. Alexey Venediktov, editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, is on our direct line from Amsterdam.
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