The Sverdlovsk Regional Court in Yekaterinburg has upheld the arrest of 39-year-old Arkady Vagner over the alleged beating of prominent agricultural scientist Nikita Zezin.
The appellate court rejected a motion by Vagner's defense counsel, ruling that the suspect will remain in pre-trial detention until September 28, according to court officials who spoke to Lenta.ru.
During court proceedings, Vagner's attorney argued that the altercation was provoked by the victims and that the criminal case had been launched groundlessly. Defense lawyers, as reported by state news agency TASS, urged authorities to conduct a formal check into the conduct of those classified as victims in the case.
Field inspection conflict
The criminal case follows an incident on July 13, when 67-year-old Zezin was inspecting agricultural fields and crops alongside Vyacheslav Vegner, a deputy of the Sverdlovsk Oblast Legislative Assembly. Zezin serves as director of the Ural Federal Agricultural Research Center, a branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
While surveying the land, Zezin and Vegner encountered a group of children riding quad bikes through the fields, causing damage to crops before getting stuck. Zezin contacted the parents of one of the minors and arranged to transport the youths back to the scientific institute using a UAZ utility vehicle.
The Ural Federal Agricultural Research Center is based in Yekaterinburg, the regional capital of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the fourth-largest city in Russia. The center operates under the Russian Academy of Sciences, the state-funded national academy responsible for overseeing scientific research across the country.
Claims of intimidation and physical assault
In subsequent statements, Vagner claimed that the children arrived with Zezin in a state of distress and crying. He stated that the minors accused the scientist of swinging a stick at them and threatening to discipline them during the encounter.
Vagner stated that upon seeing the children's condition, he entered a temporary state of affect and pushed Zezin once in the shoulder. He added that he regretted what had occurred during the confrontation.
Zezin subsequently filed a formal complaint with the police and had his physical injuries documented by medical examiners. Nine days after the incident, the 67-year-old academic suffered a heart attack.
With the Sverdlovsk Regional Court upholding the initial detention order, Vagner will remain in custody while law enforcement agencies continue their investigation into the circumstances of the assault.
