On September 9, a justice of the peace for Judicial District No. 1 in Ivanovo’s Oktyabrsky District fined Artem Potapenko, a United Russia deputy in the Ivanovo Oblast Duma, 5,000 rubles for insult (Part 1 of Article 5.61 of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offenses). Aleksey Mashkevich, editor-in-chief of the media outlet Slukhi i Fakty (Rumors and Facts), told 7x7 about the ruling.
Source: Artem Potapenko's social media
Mashkevich previously said that Potapenko and his aide attacked him in central Ivanovo on July 17. According to the journalist, the United Russia deputy ripped off his glasses and stomped on them, slapped him several times, pushed him in the chest, and spat in his face twice. He also called Mashkevich a “faggot”* and threatened to rape him.
Mashkevich told 7x7 that in his testimony, the deputy admitted to taking off the journalist’s glasses, slapping him, spitting at him, and insulting him. However, Potapenko denied that the incident was related to Mashkevich’s journalistic work. His outlet had reported on noise from Potapenko’s business and the payment of off-the-books wages there.
*7x7 does not endorse the use of offensive language.
