vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #543 / Crime watch / Reading article...

The police have detained and arrested three people in connection with the murder of Dmitry Fotyanov, a candidate for Mayor of Primorye’s town of Dalnegorsk who was gunned down on October 19 three days prior to the elections, a press statement from the regional Prosecutor’s Office reported.

The prosecutor’s office did not reveal the names of the detained people citing concerns for the integrity of the investigation. According to the Senior Aid to Primorye’s Prosecutor Irina Nomokonova, the investigators are considering two versions of Fortyanov’s contract killing. One motive could be that the organizers of the hit attempted to prevent Fotyanov from participating in the elections. Alternately, his murder could be connected with his business activity.

Fotyanov, 31, one of the two candidates for the second round of Mayoral elections in Dalnegorsk, was killed by unidentified attackers who approached him in a mini-truck and fired shots from a Kalashnikov gun while the candidate was leaving his office after a meeting with his voters.

The elections were canceled by Primorye’s election commission after the remaining candidates had withdrawn their applications for participation, with Fotyanov’s rival Alexander Terebilov withdrawing his candidacy and Vladimir Voinov, the candidate who was third in the race at the first stage also refusing to participate.

Until the next mayoral elections, which are most likely to be held next March, the mayoral duties will be performed by Vice-Mayor of Dalnegorsk Viktor Koloskov, who was appointed acting head of the town administration by Primorye’s Governor Sergei Darkin on October 22.

Fotyanov belonged to the ‘United Russia’ faction and Primorye’s members of the party were quick to denounce the contract killing as politically motivated. The investigators, however, suppose that the organizers of the hit are people within the local criminal groups.

Fotyanov was known to have been involved in the forestry business, which along with the fishing industry, remains one of the most profitable and criminalized areas of business. Fotyanov was Vice Director of the Dalnegorsk-Les Ltd. and Vice-President of Hogla Trading Ltd. Besides, Fotyanov had a previous record for extortion and was reported to be a member of the criminal group headed by the late mobster nicknamed ‘Baulo’.