Ruslan Khamatov. Photo: Ya62.ru
A man in the central Russian region of Ryazan was hospitalised with injuries after soldiers who mistook him for a Ukrainian spy detained and beat him in early April, Telegram channel Baza reported Sunday.
Ruslan Khamatov was riding his motorbike near a military airfield in Dyagilevo on 7 April, when Russian soldiers detained him, accusing him of being a Ukrainian spy.
The men beat Khamatov, who reported having his ears pulled with pliers during the assault, and accused him of being responsible for a damaged fence in the military compound, using his subscription to a “Ukrainian Telegram channel”, which turned out to be pro-Russian, as evidence.
After realising their mistake, the soldiers called the traffic police, presenting Khamatov’s injuries as the result of a motorbike accident. Khamatov was fined for driving without a licence.
He was diagnosed with fractures of the eye socket, nose and ribs, a collapsed lung and multiple bruises, and later submitted a statement on the assault to the police.
