Political commentator and former blogger Yegor Zhukov, a 22-year-old activist in Russia, was attacked on the street earlier today. Interfax provided the Moscow police statement on the issue: “A young man has filed a physical harm report. The applicant said two unknown persons had beaten him up and escaped.”
The attack happened shortly after he praised the Belarus protests. As a vocal supporter of individual freedom, he is considered to be highly influential about such matters.
The violence necessitated hospital treatment for Zhukov. Images were posted to social media.
Zhukov received a three-year suspended sentence on charges of online extremism in late 2019, after originally being incarcerated on charges of inciting mass unrest by helping to promote the July 27, 2019 protests. As part of his sentence, he was banned from using the internet for two years. Friends posted the images of his assault.
Prior to his restriction from the internet, he hosted a Youtube channel with more than 100,000 followers. Since his conviction, he has had a collegiate acceptance revoked.
The incident follows the recent second poisoning of Putin critic Alexei Navalny.
