Vladimir Ivanyutenko, an activist of the opposition organization Artpodgotovka, is known for his wearing a Putin mask during street protests in Russia.
The activist was attacked near his block of flats on Golikov street: unknown men tasered and stabbed him several times. As a result, Ivanyutenko was taken to a resuscitation unit. The patient, who has stab wounds of his chest, liver and spleen, is in a critical condition.
According to his friend Diana Retinskaya, when brought to hospital, Ivanyutenko repeated that the attack had been carried out by members of the NOD (National Liberation Movement). It is a Russian non-governmental organization that advocates for the ‘restoration of sovereignty of Russia’. According to members of the organization, Russia lost its sovereignty in 1991 ‘through the artificial division of the country by 15 states’ [the collapse of the USSR], while the financial system got into the ‘direct dependence on the U.S. dollar’. In the past, its members repeatedly came against the representatives of the Russian opposition.
