Two suspects in Luhansk racist attack caught in Russia

Two martial arts sportsmen – the vice-president of the Donbass Thai Boxing Club, Andriy Spivak, and Valentin Rybalko, five-times Thai boxing champion, have apparently been detained in Russia.   They are being held in custody pending extradition, apparently in connection with the vandal attack on a kiosk owned by Azerbaijanis in

As reported, on the evening of 1 November between 15 and 25 thugs, aged from 20 to 25, in medical masks and with bats smashed shop windows and caused damage to a kiosk selling shaurma (kebabs)  The kiosk belongs to Azerbaijanis and is close to the main part of the university. The assailants then moved to one of the 9-storey hostels and beat up foreign students, four of whom ended up in hospital.

The lawyer of one of the victims, Ihor Chudovsky, stated at the time that all those detained were well-known martial arts sportsmen (Muay Thai) who train out in one of Luhasnk’s sports clubs.  It is he who reported the news that the two men have been detained in Russia.  In fact, the two men detained were among those released on a signed undertaking not to abscond.

At the beginning of January it was reported that one of three men detained on suspicion of involvement in the attack had been released by a Luhansk court.  Vladmir Skavinsky, a martial arts trainer, is suspected of having organized the attack. Two people, seemingly part of the Thai martial arts club are still being held in detention.

Lawyer representing the victims of the attack, Ihor Chudovsky, criticized that release saying that Stavinsky would now be about to put pressure on witnesses. He alleged that there are “serious people behind the accused man, .

New information reported here