MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2021) In this digest, we will tell you about charges for Polish citizens who kept a Russian national in thrall for the past 23 years, forcing him to work at a poultry farm; about Russia's success at the ongoing European Aquatics Championship; and about Russians' concerns regarding the continuing price surge.
POLISH CITIZENS FACE CHARGES FOR KEEPING RUSSIAN IN THRALL
Polish citizens who kept Russian national Nikolai Erofeev in thrall for more than 20 years faced charges eventually, a spokeswoman for the Polish Border Guard, Ioanna Konechnyak, announced.
Then-Soviet citizen Erofeev came to Poland in 1989 to serve as a civilian expert in a Soviet military unit that was stationed near Boleslawiec. When Soviet troops were withdrawn from Poland in the 1990s, he decided to stay there.
For the past 23 years he was held in bondage at a poultry farm near Lubin, in the west of the country. He was not allowed to go out into the city and was poorly fed. As Erofeev was staying in the country illegally, he did not tell anyone about his fate. A local resident helped the Russian national escape in September. Later, a Polish family sheltered Erofeev and helped him find a job and a lawyer. Erofeev decided to stay in Poland.
"As part of the investigation carried out by border guard officers in Legnica under the supervision of the district prosecutor's office in Legnica, charges were brought against two Polish citizens, accused of ... human trafficking," Konechnyak told reporters.
The accused persons potentially face a minimum of three years of imprisonment.
Konechnyak explained that the defendants made unlawful threats against Erofeev and also used his critical situation and helplessness to force him to perform work that degrades human dignity.
Preventive measures were applied in the form of a pledge of property, police supervision, a ban on leaving the country, a ban on having a passport issued, a ban on personal, telephone or other contacts with the victim, as well as a ban on approaching him at a distance of closer than 100 meters.
RUSSIA'S SUCCESS AT EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIP
Russia leads in terms of a number of gold medals won at the European Aquatics Championship, which is ongoing in Hungary's Budapest. The Russian team already came first in eight disciplines.
The Russian team already has eight gold medals, and sportsmen were victorious in two more disciplines on Friday.
On Friday, Alexander Maltsev and Olesya Platonova won gold medals in the artistic swimming mixed duet free program. Swimmers from Spain won silver medals and an Italian duo came third.
In addition, Svetlana Kolesnichenko and Svetlana Romashina won gold medals in the artistic swimming duet free routine event. Swimmers from Ukraine came second and an Austrian duo won bronze medals.
RUSSIANS OBSERVE PRICE HIKE TREND
More than half of Russians (57 percent) pointed to a noticeable increase in egg prices over the past month, almost 40 percent noticed the same trend with gasoline, and 22 percent believe that prices for construction materials are on the rise as well, according to a survey by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM), conducted among 1,500 respondents earlier in May.
In January, only 44 percent of Russians noted a significant increase in egg prices, while in May already 57 percent of the respondents mentioned this trend. Forty-seven percent spoke about a rise in prices for meat and poultry (up from 35 percent in January), while 36 percent are concerned over increasing prices for fish and seafood (up from 28 percent). Fruit and vegetables became more expensive as well, according to 31 percent of respondents, against 23 percent in January.
At the same time, the number of Russians who believe that sugar prices are increasing dropped from 49 percent in January to 44 percent in May.
An increase in prices for construction materials is observed by 22 percent of Russians in May against 10 percent in January. Prices of clothes and footwear rose in May, according to 23 percent of respondents, while in January this trend was observed by 17 percent only.
The rise in gasoline prices was mentioned by 39 percent of the respondents (up from 27 percent in January).
According to FOM, 32 percent of Russians today note an increase in prices for housing and communal services, against 29 percent in January; and 21 percent of respondents believe healthcare services are becoming more expensive, against 15 percent at the beginning of the year.
