Russian federal lawmaker is beaten and robbed while on vacation

Duma deputy Aleksandr Sidyakin was attacked and robbed by drunken “hooligans” while vacationing with his children in the Tverskaya Region on May 21, the United Russia politician said in an interview with TASS.

“We were, indeed, vacationing on Saturday along with the children when a group of drunken people broke in and committed robbery and acts of hooliganism,” said Sidyakin, without specifying the exact location of the event. He has confirmed that he is safe and that he has filed a police report.

“We were attacked by hooligan thugs,” Sidyakin wrote on his VK page, insisting that the incident was not related to his political activities. “Dear journalists, this is my official statement, please stop calling about it,” the message said.

The news source Life reported that Sidyakin was attacked on a small island on the Volga River not far from the village of Novomelkovo. According to an eyewitness account, “the deputy and his friends were attacked by about seven people … Sidyakin’s telephone was ripped out of his hands while he was attempting to film what was happening,” the source said.

Police arrived at the scene about an hour after the conflict, by which time the attackers had fled, eyewitnesses said.

• In January 2015, Alexander Sidyakin and fellow United Russia deputy Oleg Savchenko set out to climb Mount Vinson—Antarctica’s highest peak—which reaches an altitude of 4,892 meters. On January 14, all communication with the deputies was lost. The Duma and the Kremlin responded unfavorably to the deputies’ decision to partake in such “extreme” activities. Due to bad weather, the members of parliament failed to return in time for the first plenary session of the year.
• The head of the Russian Antarctic expedition, Valery Lukin, said that the deputies’ expedition had been unlawful, as any activity of Russian citizens in Antarctica requires the permission of Roshydromet, the country’s Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring. Sidyakin argued that the trip was not illegal because the deputies had not engaged in any “activities” while in Antarctica and were mere tourists, who, he believes, should not be required to file for federal approval.