As reported on the website of the Institute for Collective Action (IKD), on February 3, this 72-year-old former officer was attacked by three men near the entrance to his house. The men pushed Grachev to the ground and began kicking him, landing most of their blows to his head. Grachev was taken to hospital, where he arrived unconscious, with an open wound on his head, a fractured nose, and a severe concussion. He regained consciousness several days later, and he is suffering from partial memory loss.
According to the IKD dispatch, Grachev is a well-known critic of the local authorities, in particular, Vladimir Nesterov, the head of the city and district of Solnechnogorsk. In 2006, Grachev was elected to the city council. There he focused on the municipal services sector, where he uncovered facts of corruption and inflated tariffs. He was also a member of the “Salvation Committee,” a coalition that was formed during the “anti-monetization” protests of 2005.
According to Elena Smirnova, another Salvation Committee member and a candidate in upcoming elections to the district council, the attack on Grachev should be linked not only to his active civic stance, but also to the ongoing election campaign. She also notes that the attack is yet one more sign of the “extremely abnormal situation” in her district and the region as a whole with regards to freedom of expression and criticism of the authorities. The most well-known episode in this cold civil war was the severe beating of Michail Beketov, Khimki activist and newspaper editor, in November of last year. In this respect, it is telling that Grachev’s attackers not only beat him, but also took his bag. It contained articles for the next issue of his newspaper, which was again to have focused on corruption in the municipal services.
