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Wounded Nesterenko is not mayoral candidate: election commission

Nikolai Nesterenko wounded in an assassination attempt early on Friday is not a candidate for mayor of the Black Sea resort city of Anapa

KRASNODAR, February 22 (Itar-Tass) – Nikolai Nesterenko wounded in an assassination attempt early on Friday is not a candidate for mayor of the Black Sea resort city of Anapa, the chairman of the territorial election commission, Sergei Starostin, told Tass.

“Nikolai Nesterenko did not submit documents for the mayoral position and is not a candidate for mayor of the resort city. He is deputy to the ataman of the city Cossack society for economic issues,” he specified.

At the present moment, ten mayoral candidates are on the list of the registered candidates for the election due in March. “Nikolai Nesterenko is not on the list,” the chairman of the election commission stressed.

Nesterenko survived an attempt on his life early on Friday. His driver, Viktor Zhuk, was killed in the assassination attempt. He drove over to Nesterenko’s house early on Friday in a Toyota Camry to pick him up, and “when Nesterenko got into the car, an unidentified person made several shots from a 7.62 caliber gun at him and the driver,” the sources said.

The driver died at the scene, while Nesterenko was wounded. The attacker drove off from the scene, and the wounded man called the police.

Investigators work at the site. Criminal proceedings have been instituted under the articles “Murder” and “Attempt on the life of two people”.

A police operation is underway to find the attackers.

“The head of Krasnodar Territory’s criminal police and best investigators from the regional department of the Interior Ministry have headed for the site,” the press service of the Russian Interior Ministry said.

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