In the Moscow region, a man has been charged with inciting hatred over the words: “I slept with Bastrykin’s family.”

The Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case for inciting hatred with the threat of violence (point “a” part 2 article 282 of the Criminal Code) against a man who, during a confrontation on a minibus, made harsh statements about the head of the Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, and his family. This was reported by the Investigative Committee administration for the Moscow region.

On 19 September, far-right and xenophobic media, including the Telegram channel “Mnogonatsional”, shared a video of a conflict between passengers on a minibus in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, a city east of Moscow.

In the video, one of the female passengers says about a drunken man: “Film him, we’ll post this and send it to that Bastrykin. He deals with them quickly.” The man responds: “I fucked Bastrykin’s family.” He then repeats his statement, adding obscene language. In another video, the same man is shown starting a fight in the minibus cabin, after which he is pushed out onto the street.

On the morning of 20 September, the central office of the Investigative Committee reported that Bastrykin demanded his subordinates update him on the progress of the investigation into the man. In its press release, the agency calls the man a “visitor from elsewhere.”

Half an hour later, the Moscow region Investigative Committee reported that the man had been charged with hooliganism (points “a,” “b,” “v” part 1 article 213 of the Criminal Code). Nearly three hours later, the agency released a new statement announcing the initiation of yet another criminal case against the man—this time for inciting hatred.

“The investigation established that the man, after passengers said they would report his unlawful actions to the authorities, publicly, in the presence of all passengers, expressed insults and threats of violence against law enforcement officers,” the statement says.

However, the video of the conflict only features the man’s vulgar statements directed at Bastrykin and his family; there are no mentions of other Investigative Committee officials or other law enforcement bodies.

The man was detained and placed in a temporary holding facility. Authorities plan to select a pretrial restriction for him, but the Investigative Committee did not specify which one.

22 September The court sent the man to a pretrial detention centre (SIZO), reported by the Moscow region Investigative Committee on the morning of 21 September.