In St. Petersburg, kidnappers of the Zenit football player were detained: details of the case.

According to inkorr.com: In St. Petersburg, law enforcement detained individuals suspected of kidnapping a businessman and attempting to seize a Zenit football player and a member of the Russian national team. The detention took place with the participation of the Investigative Committee of Russia.

Kidnapping of a businessman and the attempt to seize a football player

According to the investigation, the suspects kidnapped entrepreneur Sergey Selegen near a store on Krestovsky Island and demanded a ransom of 10 million rubles. The same individuals also attempted to kidnap Zenit football player Andrey Mostovoy, but they failed to carry out their plan.

The FIS Council voted to prevent athletes with individual neutral status (AIN) from participating in the qualifying competitions for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan.

Scandal with a neutral athlete

Russian speed skater Daniil Naidinishev, recognized as a neutral athlete by the ISU, turned out to have connections with Russian military Mikhail Lebedev. Lebedev is participating in the war against Ukraine and regularly shares photos and videos from the hostilities on his Instagram page, where Naidinishev has also appeared.

Thus, in St. Petersburg, suspects in the kidnapping of a businessman and a football player were detained, accusing them of extortion. In addition, one of the Russian athletes recognized as neutral participants found himself at the center of a scandal due to his connections with the aggressors in the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. These events raise questions about the ethics and consequences of sports connections in the context of current military conflicts.