"Yabloko" activist hit by car near courthouse in Tuapse, eyewitnesses assert

Today, near the building of the Tuapse District Court, during the trial on the case against Suren Gazaryan and Evgeny Vitishko, a man pierced wheels of the car, in which Krasnodar activists had arrived. While escaping in a car, he hit Igor Kharchenko, the activist of the "Yabloko" Party, who tried to detain him, eyewitnesses report.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by activist Alexei Mandrigel, when they saw that someone had pierced wheels of the car and began to run away, they went after him. "A Lada car of silver colour drove up, he stepped in it, and the car turned around and drove in our direction. The car hit Igor Kharchenko and left," says Alexei Mandrigel. Eyewitnesses of the incident called the police, which arrived ten minutes later. According to Alexei Mandrigel, in hour after the incident, the car has not been found, despite the fact that "the entire information about the car was known state registration number, brand, and colour of the car."

Igor Kharchenko was brought to hospital. According to Anna Mitrenko, Chairperson of the Krasnodar city branch of the "Yabloko" Party, Igor Kharchenko got no serious injuries. The police eventually found the car and detained the attacker. The activists intend to pursue an initiation of a criminal case.

Information about the incident was confirmed by Evgeniya Chirikova, the leader of the "Movement to Defend Khimki Forest", and Nikolai Lyaskin, the activist of the movement "Solidarnost" (Solidarity), who were visiting Tuapse.

The police officials have not yet commented on the incident.