Moscow Investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee have charged Pavel Sopot with a crime under part 4 of article 33, paragraph “a” of part 3 of article 111 of RF Criminal Code (incitement of infliction of deliberate bodily harm to victim in connection with their professional activity). Sopot was apprehended during joint operations of the Investigative Committee, Federal Penitentiary Service and Main Office of Russian Interior Ministry.
According to investigators, Eduard Tagiryanov organized a gang in the mid-90s in the town of Naberezhnye Chelny, Republic of Tatarstan. By late 90s the sphere of its influence covered several regions of Russia, including Moscow, Lipetsk Region and others. In early 2000s members of the gang started offsetting between Gazprom-Avia and enterprises in Lipetsk Region. Novaya Gazeta correspondent Igor Domnikov at that time published a number of critical articles about the social situation in Lipetsk Region. In response the businessman Pavel Sopot, as investigators believe, decided to organize an attack on the journalist to consolidate his positions among the local businessmen. Sopot told about his plan to a friend of his Tagiryanov, who supported the idea and ordered his inferiors to track the journalist down, find out where he lived and attack him. Executing the order, members of the gang started following Domnikov from the building of Novaya Gazeta to his place of residence and on 12 May 2000 hit him with a hammer no less than 10 times into the head. Domnikov died later in hospital.
Tagiryanov and other members of the gang in 2007 were convicted of this crime by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tatarstan. The criminal case against persons who ordered the hit and instigators was severed into a separate lawsuit.
Today Moscow’s Presnensky district court is going to review the petition of investigators asking to place Sopot in custody. Investigation is ongoing.
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