Moscow police officers in hot pursuit detained three suspects in the attack on the attacking defender of CSKA basketball Alexei Shved.
"Three men were in a car near a shopping center on Pyatnitskoye Highway. Currently, they have been taken to the police department for investigative actions, "said the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Irina Volk.
According to media reports, the procedural status of each of the participants in the incident should be established in the near future.
A video recording of the first testimonies of the detainees was also made public. One of them admitted that he participated in the brawl, the other shared its details. According to him, at the very beginning of the conflict, there was a conversation with the wife of a basketball player, which the detainee described as a "verbal clutch", after which the Swede stood up for his wife and there was "physical contact".
"He touched me with his hands, after which I took him by the jacket, made him a sweep through his leg, he landed on the floor," the young man said.
He also noted that for some time he turned away from the Swede, as he "did not feel safe", and at this time from behind his back "a blow to the Swede flew" from a man who got out of the Chevrolet Tahoe car. Who exactly hit the athlete, the interrogated did not specify.
The third detainee noted that the incident occurred between his friends and the girl. "A verbal skirmish occurred, then escalated into a fight," the man explained.
According to media reports, the young people claim that they allegedly faced insults from the wife of the basketball player Anastasia Ziaditdinova in connection with their ethnicity. However, she herself offers a completely different picture of what happened.
"When we left the restaurant, there was a big company. When they saw me, they stopped. They understood who I was, they said that my husband was a sucker: "We lost because of him, Alexei Shved does not know how to play, he sucks." I said: "My husband is the best that you tell me this," Ziaditdinova told Sport-Express.
In addition, she categorically rejected accusations of insults on ethnic grounds.
"Now I read on the Internet that I allegedly called their nation. My father is a Tatar, a Muslim, my grandfather is a mullah in a mosque, I am a Tatar. Lyosha has a Chechen best friend. With us in the company was a Chechen, an Azerbaijani. We also met a Chechen acquaintance with his son. And a Jew friend. So about the nation ... They probably thought that I was blonde and so could do," said the wife of the basketball player.
According to the captain of the Kazan UNICS, Andrei Vorontsevich, his former teammate could hardly provoke a fight.
"The people who attacked the Swede must be held accountable for this. Alexei is a good friend of mine, a very calm person, and I do not believe that he could provoke anyone to aggression. We are all worried about him and wish him a speedy recovery," said the forward.
Meanwhile, the condition of the 34-year-old basketball player has stabilized, but remains difficult. He was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury with fractures of the skull bones and a brain contusion. According to Ziaditdinova, it is too early to make any predictions, since the athlete needs to undergo a second CT examination in 10-14 days.
"He has a tumor. It can grow, but so far nothing is known, you need to lie down and not move. He lies and does not move, he has a corset around his neck. There is air in the brain that has not come out either. There is a big diagnosis. It's just part of what's dangerous. Alexei is not in intensive care now, he is in the hospital, "Anastasia said.
In connection with the incident, a criminal case was initiated under Part 3 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm by a group of persons. According to some Telegram channels, the suspects called the basketball player and tried to hush up the case, promising not to skimp on monetary compensation. The Swede refused their proposals.
The hope for a fair punishment for the attackers was expressed by the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Basketball Federation, a permanent member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and a fan of the army team, Sergei Ivanov.
"First of all, I wish Alexei good health and the fastest possible recovery. Secondly, I hope and am sure that law enforcement agencies will fully restore the whole picture of what happened and their participants, and the criminal case for the attackers will be completed with punishment to the fullest extent, "Match TV quoted Ivanov as saying.
In turn, the athlete's agent Obrad Fimic said that the Swede is optimistic: he communicates with his family and friends and is aimed at recovery.
"He receives a large number of messages, does not have time to respond to everyone. Alexei, all his family, me, friends, relatives, employees of the club and the team receive an incredible number of words of support from all over the world, we are very grateful to everyone," Fimic said in a comment to RIA Novosti.