The case is under two articles: the court arrested a suspect in an attack on boxer Kushitashvili

Russian boxing champion Georgy Kushitashvili was arrested for two months. The athlete is immediately charged with two criminal articles: an attack on a representative of the authorities (Article 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and possession of drugs (Article 228 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The election of a preventive measure took place in the Military Court, since the boxer is a soldier.

Boxers Georgy Kushitashvili and Hovik Hovhannisyan are famous athletes, Kushitashvili in 2019 became the Russian boxing champion in the category up to 81 kg, Hovhannisyan is the bronze medalist of the European Boxing Championship in weight up to 52 kilograms.

Rosguard employees detained athletes on February 2 at Frunze Embankment in central Moscow. In an official statement on the website of the Main Directorate of the Russian Guard, it was noted that the department’s employees paid attention to two men, as they were suspicious and tried to hide in the nearest entrance when they saw a patrol car.

Young people were stopped for a routine document check, but they refused to obey the Rosgvardeytsy and behaved aggressively. As a result, Kushitashvili hit a law enforcement officer in the face. The man’s nose is broken, he has already received the necessary medical care.

After the attack, the brawlers were detained. Later, the official representative of the Russian Guard, Valery Gribakin, said that during the search, Kushitashvili had found a bundle of 0.7 g of the narcotic substance - this amount is enough to initiate a criminal case. The examination found that the package found in Kushitashvili contained pure cocaine "without impurities, which is purchased in specialized places abroad."

The criminal case of an attack on a government official and possession of drugs was instituted only in relation to Kushitashvili, and Hovhannisyan is being examined as a witness.

A member of the Chechen Republic Lawyer Chamber, Alexander Degteryov, representing Kushitashvili’s interests, told TASS that the client was innocent. According to him, the violations were committed by employees of the Russian Guard, who allegedly did not introduce themselves to the young people and did not show them certificates, but began to wring their hands, demanding to provide identification documents.

“There was a brawl in which one of the Rosguard employees slipped and hit his nose on the stair railing,” Degteryov explained.

The lawyer also insists that the boxer already found the drugs at the police station, although Kushitashvili could have tried to get rid of him on the way to the police department.

“That is, George did not know that he had a bundle. Where he came from, we won’t talk, let the investigation understand, ”concluded the lawyer.

In an interview with RT, a boxing trainer from Buryatia, a friend of Giorgi Kushitashvili, commented on the situation with the detention of the athlete, emphasizing that he did not believe in the guilt of his friend.

“This is a misunderstanding in its purest form, since a member of the Russian boxing team constantly undergoes doping control under the supervision of experienced doctors during the training sessions, there was clearly a combination of the worst circumstances for an athlete who defends the country's honor in international competitions,” the source said .

For the coaches who worked with Kushitashvili, the criminal case against the athlete was also a complete surprise. According to Viktor Fakhrutdinov, head coach of the Russian boxing team, neither Kushitashvili nor Hovhannisyan previously had complaints about discipline. Moreover, the athletes were preparing to participate in the tournament in Italy.

“I have very strict discipline in the team, and it's hard for me to believe it. This is a member of the Russian national team, a participant in the last World Cup, ”Fakhrutdinov commented on the detention of Kushitashvili.

After choosing a preventive measure to Georgy Kushitashvili, Secretary General of the Boxing Federation of Russia Umar Kremlev announced the exclusion of the athlete from the Russian national team.

Previously, Kremlev expressed bewilderment about what happened, noting that only two days ago Kushitashvili returned from sports camp: “What drugs could there be? Kushitashvili never used drugs, he was never seen even in drunkenness. ”

The press service of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency RUSADA also told reporters that in 2019, athletes were tested twice for prohibited substances, but all tests yielded a negative result.