The husband of a Novosibirsk farmer who fought against cow slaughter has been placed under house arrest.
Fifty-year-old Sergei Makolkin, the husband of Svetlana Panina, a farmer from the Novosibirsk region who fought against the confiscation and slaughter of cows, has been charged with arson. According to investigators, he and an acquaintance allegedly set fire to a cattle slaughter site, creating a "threat of spreading a particularly dangerous disease."
A criminal case of arson has been opened against Makolkin and he has been placed under house arrest.
Risk of a second criminal case
He also faces a second criminal case, as he stood up for his wife, who was being beaten by security forces, during his arrest. He is now also accused of "punching an operative in the face."
Mass slaughter of cattle in the region
Since early February, thousands of cows and bulls have been slaughtered in the Novosibirsk region. The official reason given was outbreaks of rabies and pasteurellosis. People said they were killing healthy animals without testing, and complained of tyranny and impending poverty.