Riots erupt in Russian town after taxi driver murder
Special units and police officers from the entire region are being brought to Korkina in the Chelyabinsk Oblast in Russia due to the riots following the high-profile murder of a woman. The 40-year-old, Elena Safronova, worked as a taxi driver and succumbed to stab wounds.
The murder of the woman occurred on the evening of October 23. The ride concluded in the Roma district, where the woman was reportedly stabbed multiple times. Two individuals have been detained in connection to the case; both are underage members of the Roma community. One of them, a 17-year-old, has already been charged. The involvement of the other teenager in the murder is under investigation.
Riots in Russia. Residents sought to carry out vigilante justice
A conflict arose between residents and the Roma community. It is believed that police inaction regarding the murder caused the unrest. Even before official findings were released, locals decided to take justice into their own hands. Dozens of people stormed into the Roma district. Masked individuals began destroying cars and setting houses on fire.
When the situation began to spiral out of control, channel Astra reported that representatives of the Roma community were leaving en masse for neighbouring Yemanzhelinsk.
The enraged crowd is currently being restrained by security forces. Units from the entire region are being brought to Korkina. The governor of the region has been informed about the situation on the ground.
He confirmed that police officers, military personnel, and members of the Russian Guard are being deployed to the scene.
Videos published by local media show that there are already dozens of police vehicles at the scene.
According to the portal ura.ru, the riots were preceded by numerous posts on Telegram channels and other chats calling for "rescuing the innocent boys from police hands." Others were calling for revenge on them and the entire Roma community.
Security forces surrounded the home of the suspects, around which dozens of people gathered to carry out vigilante justice.
As of 3 PM Eastern Time, about 20 people have been detained.
