Head of St. Petersburg region settlement beaten with metal pipe. Shortly before the attack, local administration announced rally in support of war in Ukraine

Head of the urban-type settlement Krasny Bor, Tosnensky district, Saint Petersburg region of Russia, Alexander Kantserev was beaten with a metal pipe near his house in the evening of 11 November, local media outlets Nevskiye Novosti and 47news report.

Following the attack, the 57-year-old man ended up in intensive care with fractures on the parietal and the cheekbone, brain swelling, and bruised ribs. Furthermore, the victim’s bronchial asthma worsened due to injuries.

The Saint Petersburg regional Ministry of Internal Affairs initiated a criminal case on assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Press service of the regional prosecutor’s office posted photos from the crime scene. One can see in the photos that Kantserev’s house is surrounded by a high wooden fence.

According to 47news, a surveillance camera recorded a man in a black coat with a hood climbing over the fence, running towards Kantserev, and hitting him with something resembling a metal pipe several times. Telegram channel 112 posted a video of the attack.

On 11 November, the Tosnensky district administration published a post inviting people to participate in a rally “in support of the special military operation and partial mobilisation” titled Za Pobedu (“For Victory”). The event is supposed to take place after Russia’s Armed Forces military equipment exhibition is over in a local culture centre.