The media reported on the detention of the merited swimming coach of Russia Alexander Ilyin at the Pulkovo airport.

The specialist who has trained a galaxy of outstanding athletes, including five-time European record holder Valentina Artemyeva and world champion Sergei Geibel, refused to wear a mask indoors.

The video of the incident was posted on Instagram by the three-time world champion in swimming with fins Vitalina Simonova.

As Simonova later said, at the registration desk, Alexander was reprimanded due to the lack of a mask.

The coach, in turn, said that it is not a means of respiratory protection and asked for a respirator.

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“As a result, security came.

Ilyin was asked to show his passport.

He tried to find out on what basis, and wanted to write a complaint against the girl who refused to register him.

Then the coach was asked to go to the duty station, "the athlete explained in an interview with Match TV.

According to her, after the skirmish, the coach was detained.

They also asked to go to the duty unit and Simonova herself.

Her testimony was recorded there, and after the publication of the video on Instagram, according to her, her phone was seized.

The athlete was charged under Article 319 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for insulting a representative of the authorities, and also issued a recognizance not to leave.

The All-Russian Swimming Federation said they were "studying information" on the incident.

This was stated by the head of the organization Vladimir Salnikov.

“When we are done, we will make an appropriate statement,” promised the four-time Olympic champion.

Commentator and TV presenter Dmitry Guberniev on his Telegram advised everyone to wear masks in public places.

“Regarding the detention of the swimming coach Ilyin.

A mask must be worn in public places!

Whether we like it or not ... "- wrote Guberniev.

State Duma Deputy Svetlana Zhurova said that she did not believe that the coach was detained just like that.

“This is really a security issue.

You can talk as much as you like about certificates, about QR codes, but a mask is the only thing that ensures security.

And if a person does not put on a mask, thereby endangering other passengers, then, for example, I would be indignant at them.

Everyone can have their own diseases, medical treatment, and other things.

But if a person is without a mask, he can infect others.

And then death occurs if there is a person with serious pathologies nearby.

It does not happen that the police simply detained a person, "- quotes Zhurova" Gazeta.ru ".

At Pulkovo airport there is a mandatory mask regime for all passengers.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that Russian athletes and coaches are detained for violating the mask regime at the airport.

In early October, the national freestyle wrestling team in Amsterdam was not allowed on a flight to Oslo.

The plane was asked to leave, including the head coach Dzambolat Tedeev and two-time Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulayev, who was the standard-bearer of the national team at the closing of the 2020 Olympic Games. The athletes flew to Oslo the next day.

As of Tuesday, November 23, St. Petersburg ranks fourth in Russia in terms of the number of cases of coronavirus infection.

During the day, 1,060 cases were recorded in the city, 76 people died.