Pre-planned nature is distinctive feature of attack on journalist Khoroshilov

The actions of the man who attacked Igor Khoroshilov, a Rostov journalist, were prepared in advance, which excludes any spontaneous conflict. At the same time, the absence of direct proofs of links of the attack with Igor’s professional activities will allow law enforcers to treat the incident as a domestic conflict, lawyers have pointed out.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Igor Khoroshilov had informed that on April 13, an unknown man attacked him in the street. The attacker was masked, sprayed him with a can and hit him.

Khoroshilov is one of the most well-known regional opposition journalists, Dmitry Abrosimov, a Rostov political analyst, asserts.

"He covers various topics, from politics to social issues. He has a lot of projects; many people know him and respect him for his position," Mr Abrosimov has added.

However, he is not sure that the attack on Khoroshilov has to do with his professional activities; he assumes that some "personal motives" are not excluded.

Dmitry has added that he was surprised by the absence of reaction of the local branch of the Russian Union of Journalists to the incident.

A local human rights defender has linked the attack with the journalist's activities. The attack will not be investigated if high-ranking officials are behind it, he believes.

It will not be easy to prove that the attack is an obstruction of Igor’s professional work, Svetlana Kuzevanova, a media lawyer, has noted.