In the Irkutsk region, police officers detained eight suspects in an attack on an environmentalists’ camp in the vicinity of the city of Angarsk. One person was killed and seven more were injured there on Saturday night. The environmentalists themselves believe that they have become a victim of one of the extremist groups, possibly skinheads. The regional police department is confident that it was hooliganism or an attempted robbery. According to ITAR-TASS, at about 5.10 am a group of about 15-20 young people, armed with bats and metal rods, broke into the tent camp of environmentalists located near the Elovsky reservoir, who were holding a protest near the International Uranium Enrichment Center being created in Angarsk. The thugs began to beat the inhabitants of the camp, destroy and set fire to tents, simultaneously taking personal belongings from the victims. The attack lasted 10 minutes, after which the criminals fled. At the time of the attack, there were 21 people in the camp - mostly young people, members of a number of informal organizations (the Autonomous Action group, the Rainbow Guardians movement) and “unorganized” environmentalists and anarchists. Eight of them were injured. Three received medical assistance on the spot, and five victims were sent to hospitals. One of the wounded, a 20-year-old youth from Nakhodka, died a few hours later. According to preliminary data, he suffered a severe head injury. The condition of two more victims was assessed by doctors as serious. According to the head of the public relations department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Valery Gribakin, a criminal case was opened in connection with the attack on the environmentalists’ camp under the article “deliberate infliction of grievous bodily harm resulting in death.” Detectives identified 13 suspects, eight of whom were detained. They confiscated the backpack of one of the victims and a stolen mobile phone. “The investigation is inclined to believe that the cause of the attack was hooliganism with the aim of seizing property,” Mr. Gribakin noted. “Operatives are considering several versions of the incident. But the possibility that this attack was carried out by members of extremist youth groups is excluded. Suspects belong to these organizations have nothing to do with it." “We are amazed by what happened and express our deep condolences to the family and friends of the deceased activist from Nakhodka,” said Rosatom official Sergei Novikov. “We hope that law enforcement agencies will be able to solve this crime and bring the perpetrators to justice, since impunity for the organizers of this monstrous action is unacceptable." The Angarsk Chemical Electrolysis Plant is engaged in uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes. An International Center for Uranium Enrichment for Nuclear Power Plants is being created on its basis, and therefore, since July 15, environmentalists have been holding a protest here against the processing of nuclear waste.
